


Bittersweet Reunion

by ParadiseInsomnia



Series: Bittersweet Reunion [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Multi, Post-She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:47:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 77,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22554271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadiseInsomnia/pseuds/ParadiseInsomnia
Summary: Etheria's livelihood hangs in a fragile balance as does the lives of the captives on board Horde Prime's mothership.  Our Etherian friends will meet new beings who have the same goal: destroy Horde Prime and return balance to the universe.
Series: Bittersweet Reunion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1622785
Kudos: 18





	1. All of the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> A little lengthy adventure postseason 4 taking place right at the end of Destiny Part 2. My lovely friend @naokijunkie is to thank for this and I hope you all enjoy it.

Entrapta looked up at the stars. They had not reached the Fright Zone in time. They were no longer in the galaxy of Despondos. Her magenta eyes were too busy taking in all that she saw. After escaping Beast Island in Mara’s ship with Adora, Bow, Swift Wind and King Micah, she was unsure how she felt about returning to Bright Moon. As soon as they arrived they were immediately needed in the Fright Zone. While she was somewhat excited to go back, she was also nervous. Catra had sent her off for refusing to open the portal the distorted reality. Adora had obviously been able to get the sword back and return reality to what it was. She knew Adora could do it. Not because she was She-Ra, but because that’s the kind of person Adora was. Adora was the kind of person who would do anything to save others. This was proven when she asked them all to go to the Fright Zone to rescue Bow and Glimmer and when she went to Beast Island to save her. They didn’t leave her even when she didn’t want to go back because she was afraid, Adora refused to give up on leaving her behind. 

Bow also was a good friend. From the moment they’d met he’d been nothing but genuine and pure towards her. Entrapta smiled recalling their first meeting in Dryl. She took a deep breath. Bow had gone ahead of her to find Glimmer and she stayed behind with Swift Wind. The winged horse had fallen once they had been pulled through the portal into the wider universe. Bow left her his tracker pad and she sat next to Swift Wind. If she stayed with him, Adora and Bow would find them when they returned. She softly talked to Swift Wind who had fallen asleep. She assumed it was probably from the energy that was used to start the Heart of Etheria. As She-Ra’s steed, he was also affected. She gently stroked his nose before she looked up into the sky. She was amazed. Fascinated by the twinkling in the sky. She’d never seen anything like it before in her life.

_“There are countless galaxies filled with countless other worlds….”_

Her magenta eyes widened. Hordak…

He’d told her this when she was living in the Fright Zone. He had shared a story of one planet he remembered in particular called Umjetno. A planet filled with technological advances that provided them with new designs for their spacecraft and hundreds of scientists to build weapons for Horde Prime. They had no immediate ruler as they all worked together to create and build. It was one of the few places he told her that Horde Prime had left untouched in exchange for the scientists to help him with his vision of a universal world order.

She smiled at the memory and then she felt her hands shaking. She realized she was alone. Really alone. And for the first time in what seemed like forever, she let herself break down. She usually put her mask down to hide her face when she was upset but with no one around, there was no need. She remembered telling Adora and Bow that she wasn’t good at friendships. And this was true. She wasn’t lying when she said that friendships were hard. She’d never done this. She wasn’t good at this. She wasn’t like her at all. 

“Mom, why is this so hard for me?” she cried as she put her face in her hands.

_Entrapta remembered her mother, Queen Aidoca and her father, King Achem. Her mother was a petite woman with an hourglass figure and magenta hair. She wore it in a low ponytail and had red eyes that held knowledge she could only hope to one day unlock. Her father had violet hair that was messy and wild. He was of tall stature and on the thinner side with broad shoulders. He always carried Entrapta on them when she was a young child. His blue eyes were always filled with love for his daughter and wife. She remembered the day her mother first left. Aidoca was holding her before she left to search for First Ones artifacts in an effort to understand their language so she could decipher the translatations left behind in their ruins._

_“Don’t ever let anyone tell you how to be,” her mother told her. “You are Entrapta, Princess of Dryl and my daughter. Your desire for knowledge is more fearful than any weapon once you unlock all you desire,” she said as she kissed Entrapta on the head before letting her go to hug her husband, King Achem who kissed her softly and told her that he’d watch over Entrapta while she was away._

_Entrapta was 12 at the time. Her mother had left their kingdom leaving Entrapta with her father who taught her how to build robots. He said that creating would keep her mind busy and distract her from missing her mother. Her mother returned in two weeks and told her she would be leaving again soon. Aidoca said that she only returned to get more tools for the mission. She lit up as she told them about the site that was found in a nearby mine. Entrapta and her father were both unsure of seeing Aidoca leave again so soon._

_Aidoca said she needed to for the sake of scientific discovery. She smiled at Achem and then took Entrapta into her lab. “If anything happens to me, I want you to make sure that you know I leave all my research to you,” Aidoca said looking at Entrapta._

_“Mom don’t say that! You’ve worked your whole life for this opportunity to not complete it!” Entrapta said._

_Entrapta was much like her mother Aidoca, who also had soft prehensile hair. She hugged Entrapta and smiled warmly. “I don’t want to leave you, Entrapta. Truly, but think of what we could learn together if I was able to come close to translating the language of the First Ones! And you don’t have to worry, I’ll be using a new tech your father made so that I can upload all my findings so you can see them too,” she said smiling excitedly._

_“REALLY!?” Entrapta beamed._

_“Yes,” Aidoca said as she walked to her computer and began inputting her password. Entrapta had cracked that the password was her birth time down to the millisecond and hair color combined in a unique way to create the difficult password her mother had made. “I know you’ve hacked in here by the way,” her mother said smirking._

_“Whaaaat! I would never do that, Mom,” Entrapta said sheepishly._

_“I’m not upset, I’m actually impressed. Though, you are the daughter of a coding expert and a master builder,” she said smiling. “So this is where you’ll go to access all my notes and findings,” Aidoca said as she showed Entrapta the folder labeled “OUR RESEARCH.”_

_“ **Our** research?” Entrapta said looking at her mother with wide eyes._

_“I can’t do this alone, Entrapta. I need you,” she said looking at her. Aidoca knew that her daughter would be the most intelligent woman on the planet if she provided her the opportunity to assist with real time research. Entrapta may have only been 12 years old, but she had grasped more knowledge than any other child on Etheria. Entrapta was so much like Achem, eager to learn and try new experiments even if it meant failure. She never got discouraged when she failed. Achem had always told her that failure was a vital part of learning and that if she did not fail, she was not actually learning. Entrapta was like her in her consistent pursuit for more knowledge. It would never be enough until her mind was satisfied. “What do you say? Will you help me?”_

_Entrapta squealed with excitement and hugged her mother tightly with both her arms and hair saying “Yes” over and over. Happy tears formed in her eyes as she realized her mother had given her an opportunity to assist with real time field research._

_Aidoca held her tighter. “Thank you, Entrapta! If I could give you anything, what would you like?”_

_Entrapta looked at her mother and was confused. She was going to assist in field research, what more could she want? Entrapta thought about it for a moment before looking at her mother._

_“I...I want a friend. Someone who’ll like the things I like,” she said blushing._

_Aidoca smiled as she kneeled down and looked at her. “And what would your friend be named?” her mother asked._

_“Emily!” Entrapta smiled._

_“I like that name,” her mother said, as she moved Entrapta’s hair from her face. “All right, I’ll see what I can do,” she said._

_“My beautiful girls, are you ready for dinner?” called her father._

_“Yes Dad!” Entrapta said as she let go of her mother and ran past them to the dining room._

_“Did you tell her?” Achem asked Aidoca._

_“I’m not sure how to if I’m being honest,” she said she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I just hope I can be back in time for us to really be a family,” she said._

_Achem’s blue eyes saddened some and she caressed his face, kissing his cheek. She smiled at him and he kissed her softly._

_“I know how important this is for you. I won’t stop you. I’m just not ready to see you go again,” he said sadly._

_“Think of all the good we’ll be able to do for the planet,” she said as they walked to the dining room._

_They shared a family dinner consisting of a tiny chicken with vegetables and a fizzy drink for Entrapta and while Achem and Aidoca had a similar meal only larger compared to Entrapta’s tiny portions and they drank water. That night, Entrapta cuddled up to her mother and told her about the kind of person she would want her friend Emily to be. Her mother’s eyes softened as she could feel herself being lulled to sleep by her daughter._

_“Like a baby sister, huh?” Aidoca said almost sleepily._

_“What’s a baby sister?” Entrapta asked._

_Achem kissed her cheek. “A sister would be like a smaller version of you.”_

_“Like a tiny person?” Entrapta asked excitedly._

_Achem nodded. “Kind of,” he smiled._

_Aidoca snuggled against Entrapta as Achem held them both. “Good night my loves,” she smiled as she closed her eyes._

_The next morning she headed off towards the Whispering Woods with her small team and said good-bye to her family. Achem and Entrapta watched as Aidoca walked off. Entrapta held his hand tightly and held back her tears. Achem pulled her close._

_“Don’t worry. She’s going to be alright,” he said smiling trying to reassure her._

_Entrapta nodded. “She will. Her team won’t let anything happen to her.”_

_Roughly six weeks passed and her team returned informing King Achem and Entrapta that Aidoca had been injured and was being treated by the two medics she took on her way back to the kingdom. Achem informed the castle staff to prepare a bed on the first floor of the castle for her. Entrapta was unsure of what was going on. Terrified and unsure, she went into her mother’s lab and began looking at her mother’s research notes. If she kept her mind busy, she could keep her mind from questioning what happened to her mother._

_Aidoca was carried into the castle in a stretcher, groaning in pain. Achem rushed to her side.  
“Aicoda…” he said, tears forming as he held her hand.  
“A..chem...” she whispered. “I...I’m sorry…”  
“Don’t apologize...please save your strength,” he pleaded.  
“En...trap..ta...where….is she?” she asked.  
“I’ll go get here,” he said. “Nurse, please watch her for a moment,” he said as he went to one of his guards. “Find Entrapta. I think she’s in her mother’s lab,” he said.  
Aidoca looked at her husband. “I’m sorry,” she said crying. “I thought I could..make a difference.”  
“Aidoca, your research is the first of its kind. Anything you did is trailblazing,” he said as he put his forehead on hers. “Please don’t blame yourself for anything,” he cried.  
She smiled. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”  
Achem kissed her softly while he waited for the guard to bring Entrapta. _

_Entrapta was busy reading her mother's latest notes. She’d read that before her mother was hurt, they had discovered a kingdom had been taken over by a foreign entity known as The Horde. There weren’t that many notes after that could tell her what happened to her mother._

_“GAH!” Entrapta screamed as one of the guards touched her shoulder.  
“Princess, your father needs you to head the main entrance.”  
She said nothing and nodded as she started walking. The guard led her to her father. “Dad, what’s going on?” she asked._

_She could see the sadness on her father’s face. “Your mother, she’s very hurt. And we need to stay by her side as a family,” he said as he held out his hand to her. Entrapta took his hand and they walked over to the bed her mother was on. She was feverish and sweating profusely. Entrapta felt her heart sink but stood by her mother’s side._

_“Mom…”_

_“Entratpa,” she smiled. “My lovely girl,” she started. “Don’t ever change yourself for anyone,” she said. “I love you so much. I know you’ll be able to do the things I could not,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks._

_“Mom please don’t. We have to crack the code together!”_

_“You have to do it...without me,” she said. “I know you can.”_

_Entrapta felt the tears forming and felt as her father hugged her tightly._

_“Aidoca, I love you so much. We love you so much,” he said as he held back his sobs. Entrapta could feel him shaking._

_“I love you both...so much,” Aidoca said before her eyes closed and her chest stopped rising._

_Achem held back his scream and simply clutched Entrapta and moved her face away from Aidoca. Entrapta’s eyes widened. She had just seen her mother die._

_She snuck into her mother’s lab in the middle of the night and rewired the entryway so that only she could have access. Her mother left this lab for her and she was going to comb through every inch of research her mother had done and all the data that was collected to continue her mother’s project. Entrapta would not allow her mother’s death to hinder the accomplishments that she had made._

_The next few days were a blur. Something about a funeral. Lessons for Entrapta on being a lady. She didn’t understand any of it. She would stand next to her father while he tried his hardest to maintain his composure as he was arranging things for her mother to be buried. Entrapta waited for him to sign one final paper before taking his hand._

_“Do you want to build something?” she asked with a shy smile._

_The tired look in his eyes faded as he smiled happily for the first time in days._

_“Yes. I would,” he said._

_“BUT YOUR HIGHNESS!” called on his advisors._

_“Please, let me spend a few moments with my daughter,” he said as he let Entrapta lead him to his lab._

_“What should we make?” Entrapta asked._

_“Why don’t we try making a robot that can do practical things, like making a bed?”_

_“YES!” Entrapta said enthusiastically as her father began pulling scrap metals from his bin. “Oh wait, Mom had some notes about tech she found that might be able to help!” she commented._

_“Really? Do you think we’ll be able to use it?” he asked nervously._

_“We can try,” she smiled. “Mom would have wanted us to.”_

_Achem was still not ready to accept that Aidoca was gone, but he knew he had to be here for his daughter. “She would. What kind of tech?”_

_Entrapta ran out of the room and came back with a small bag. “This was labeled in her notes as the tech they found while in the mine. I’m almost positive it can help us,” she beamed._

_“Let’s do it!” Achem said._

_Entrapta smiled excitedly and pulled out the shards of tech. Achem brought Entrapta over to the table and began to show her how they would begin. They bonded together in his lab as they worked on creating a robot that would be able to make a bed. While it was a simple task, it proved to be rather difficult for Entrapta to get right, but they enjoyed their time as they built together._

_Achem didn’t mind. Spending time with Entrapta was good. Especially in this trying time. She asked him how he and Aidoca met._

_“She was the most interesting woman in the room. She was a Princess yes, but she didn’t act like one. You’re very much like her in that aspect,” he smiled. “When her name was called during the ball we met at, she was busy studying a crack in the wall. I walked over to her and asked her what was so fascinating about it and she said,” he chuckled before continuing. “She said, ‘I was just wondering how your kingdom is so technologically superior yet you have a hole in your wall.’ I couldn’t accuse her of lying and just laughed. I knew then, I wanted to get to know her more.”_

_“Do you think I’ll meet someone like that?” Entrapta asked._

_“Hopefully not for a long time,” he said. “I’m not ready to let you marry yet,” he smiled._

_“I don’t think I could ever meet someone who has the same interests,” Entrapta said as she moved her mask down and began to solder metal. Entrapta and Achem spent the night working until they were able to get the robot to successfully make a bed. For a moment, they forgot about the pain and hurt of losing Aidoca. They smiled at their accomplishment. Knowing that even though she was gone, she was still with them in all they did. They wouldn’t have been able to make the robot successful without her notes and shards of what she called “First Ones Tech.”_

_Several days passed and they reluctantly watched as Aidoca was buried. They had agreed to a closed casket and watched in silence as it was lowered into the ground. Achem held onto his daughter, the sole remaining memory of his beloved wife. He did all she asked. From building robots to recreating the entire palace to be a large labyrinth. It took years to build but once it was completed, he was excited to see how entertained Entrapta was as she tried to learn how to navigate it. Their next project was creating robots that could maneuver the palace labyrinth to deliver messages and food. He helped her with learning about the technology his wife was researching._

_For a while...things were good. And then when Entrapta was twenty years old, her father fell ill. She was about to fall into a downward spiral. Not again, she thought. She’d already lost her mother. She was on the verge of tears as she stood next to her father’s bed. She was shaking but stopped when her father held her hand._

_“My sweet Entrapta. I know you will be an amazing Queen when the time comes.”_

_“I don’t want to be a Queen...I want to keep researching and building.”_

_“Then do that,” he smiled. “You are your mother’s daughter after all,” he said. “And mine. I just want you to be happy.”_

_Entrapta smiled through her tears. During their time together he’d never once forced her to do anything except help him try and understand the notes her mother had left behind. While the advisors had asked her to learn to be a lady, her father was constantly encouraging her to continue to build and learn. He knew she was like her mother and never once wanted her to be anything but herself. She smiled as her tears fell and hugged her father. “I will.”_

_When the time came for him to leave, Entrapta didn’t cry. She knew he left after teaching her everything he knew. He’d left her all his research notes and collected data. She would miss him, but she also knew she would be able to rule the way her parents wanted her to. Yes, it would be untraditional, but it would be the way she wanted. She created a haven for builders and techs to come to Dryl and experiment and build to their heart's content. She would continue her experiments and continue to unravel the mysteries of Etheria and the First Ones._

Entrapta wiped her tears and stood up. She took in all the stars and found magic.  
“Mom...Dad...If you could see this now,” she smiled. “You would no doubt help me with making a map of the stars. I wish you could be here.” She picked up the tracker pad Bow left behind. “Okay, let’s see what we can do with this,” she said as she tried to map out the sky. She knew that she would need to map out the sky in order to navigate this new universe they were in. Hopefully Bow got to Glimmer in time before Hordak…

Something inside her hurt. She didn’t know why. Hordak was going to return to Horde Prime once the portal was functioning. That’s what he wanted. That’s why he had worked constantly day in and day out to get the portal to work. The stars in the sky were proof that Horde Prime had pulled them out of Despondos. If they were no longer in Despondos then Hordak was probably with Horde Prime by now. She felt even more tears forming and stream down her face. What was this feeling overwhelming her?

“ENTRAPTA!”

She wiped her eyes and face. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before she turned to see Bow and Adora returning to her and Swift Wind.

“Bow! Adora! You made it back,” she said relieved. She was just happy not to be alone anymore.

Bow was always a keen observer. Entrapta was nervous he would say something about her eyes being a little red, but he said nothing. 

“Are you all right?” Adora asked her. “How’s Swift Wind?”

“I’m okay,” Entrapta replied. Entrapta looked down at Swift Wind. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but I was trying to think of what we could do about that,” she said pointing up at all the Horde ships in the sky. The ships had an interesting design and were more advanced than anything Hordak had in the Fright Zone. 

“Do you think we would be able to fix up Mara’s ship to go into space?” Adora asked her.

Entrapta looked at Adora. “I would have to run some numbers to see if it’s possible as well as figure out what controls are what.”

“We need to hurry. We need to save Glimmer,” Adora said.

“Save her? Wasn’t she in the Fright Zone?” Entrapta asked.

“No, she was taken with Hordak to Horde Prime’s ship,” Bow commented.

Entrapta’s eyes widened. So Hordak was with Horde Prime. Just like he wanted. She looked at Bow. “Did you happen to see the lab while you were in the Fright Zone?” she asked.

“She was captured from the Black Garnet chamber so I didn’t see the lab,” Bow said.

Entrapta looked at Adora. “I left all my tools there. If Bow and I can get there I’m sure we can grab what I’ll need in order to get Mara’s ship out to space,” she said. 

“Entrapta, I can’t let you go alone,” Adora said.

“Bow’s coming with me though,” Entrapta said, looking at Adora with some confusion as she looked at Swift Wind.

“I’d feel a lot better if I came along with you,” Adora said.

“What about Swift Wind?” Entrapta asked. “I don’t mind you coming but he’s not okay for the time being.”

Adora looked shocked at herself and kneeled down by Swift Wind.

“Swiftie…wake up,” Adora said softly. 

Entrapta looked at Bow who walked over to her and put an arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked at Adora. Adora hugged Swift Wind and in a matter of moments, his eyes opened weakly and he smiled at Adora.

Entrapta smiled. “He’s awake.”

“Swiftie, are you up for a mission?” Adora asked.

“Always,” Swift Wind said as happily as he could despite his condition as he looked at Entrapta and Bow.

“Let’s go,” Adora said as they set off for the Fright Zone.


	2. The Aliens and the Sorceress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened after Hordak fell in front of Horde Prime? How does Reconditioning work? We'll also meet some new beings who are more than they seem.  
> WARNING: There is some SMUT so please tread lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Xatirələrinizi mənə göstərin - Show me your memories
> 
> İçərisində basdırılmış xatirələri qoruyun - Keep the memories buried inside
> 
> Bu gün mənimlə danışacaqsan - You will talk to me today
> 
> If I missed any; please let me know but that should be all of them.

“Wake up, little brother,” Horde Prime said as he went into the Reconditioning Room.

Hordak sat up slowly in the white cot-like bed. “Big Brother? You found me?”

Horde Prime smirked some before nodding. “Of course I did. I apologize that it took me so long.”

Hordak was relieved but somehow felt uneasy hearing that. He had a vague memory of events. He knew he’d been sent to the front lines but anything after that was a blur. “I...thank you for finding me,” he said.

“You are most welcome, Little Brother.” Horde Prime then looked at the door. “Sorceress, do come in,” Horde Prime said.

Hordak watched as a white haired woman dressed in a turtleneck black gown walked into the room. She was followed by another clone. Her hands were cuffed together by the silver shackles she wore. She looked at him with her golden amber eyes and then looked at Horde Prime. She bowed her head to him.

“What can I do for you, Horde Prime?” she said almost emotionless.

“See to it that my little brother has been fully Reconditioned,” he said as he motioned for the other clone to unclasp her bind while her shackles remained. Horde Prime stood up and walked over to her. _“I want him to have no memory of his time on Etheria,”_ he whispered to her.

“Yes, Horde Prime,” she said as he brushed past her and walked out of the room. She rubbed her wrists as the clasp that bound her was removed. She scowled as she looked behind her to ensure that Horde Prime was truly gone. When she no longer heard his footsteps she looked at the new arrival with a gentle smile. “Hello, what’s your name?” she asked as she walked over to him.

He was about to answer but stopped himself.

“I’m Zelia,” she said kindly. “That gentleman over there, I call him ‘Sevgi’. It helps me differentiate him from the other clones. What can I call you?” she asked again, tenderly.

“I...I do not have a name,” he said.

“Yes you do,” she said as she stood before him. He looked up at her. She put her hands on his face and he winced. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I’m just doing what was asked of me,” she said. She took a deep breath conjured up her magic. She’d never tried using her mother’s Seer abilities but she knew the mechanics of how it worked. She needed skin to skin contact. The rest would come naturally after the incantation. _“Xatirələrinizi mənə göstərin,”_ she said.

Her magic traveled down into his subconscious. The one thing with the Reconditioning that she’d learned was that memories did survive, they were just buried. That is if Horde Prime didn’t use them in his torture methods. 

She found it. His memories. He called himself Hordak. He had spent most of his time on Etheria building a portal to return to Horde Prime. He had a companion...a girl….a Princess named Entrapta. Her eyes widened. 

_“Imperfection is beautiful. At least to me,” she said smiling at him._ Then almost instantly, a change in him.

Much like Sevgi, Hordak also had a heart. She would “remove” the memories. 

_“İçərisində basdırılmış xatirələri qoruyun,”_ she said and let him go. She looked at him. “Well, Hordak, all seems to be well with your Reconditioning,” she said.

He looked at Zelia, his eyes wide. “What did you call me?”

“Hordak. That’s the name you gave yourself when you left us. Don’t worry, I won’t use it in front of Horde Prime,” she said seeing his discomfort. “I apologize for my boldness but I would like something other than clone-whatever-number to call you,” she said. 

Hordak’s eyes widened. “Why are you being so kind to me?” he asked.

“You didn’t ask for any of this. It isn’t right to treat you horribly because of something that’s beyond your control,” she said as she looked at the markings on his shoulders and the mechanical holes drilled into his body. Unlike Sevgi, he was sickly in some way. She wasn’t sure why he was sick or how he got sick. She’d have to ask Sevgi about it. 

Hordak looked at the clone behind her she called Sevgi. “Is she always like this?”

Sevgi nodded. “Yes, she is,” he said, a smile creeping into the corner of his lips.

She looked at Hordak. “Lets keep this between us, okay?” She said with a smile and wink. 

He gave her a nod. He had never felt such kindness...or had he? His mind was a blur at the moment. He groaned.

“Rest up. You must be tired,” she said kindly as he laid back down and closed his eyes to rest.

She knew that Horde Prime would return in an hour or so after his activities to ensure that her work with Hordak had been accomplished. The spell would hold until she removed it, much like Sevgi’s. She turned to her escort. 

“Okay, time to go see about the celestial being,” she said with a sigh to Sevgi as she held her hands out to him. He attached the shackle clasps together and they walked out of the Reconditioning room. 

“What did you see?” Sevgi asked her.

“That he’s not like the others,” she said. “And that’s a good thing.”

Hordak closed his eyes and found rest. His body succumbed to the sleep. Why was he so tired? He felt some pain in his body but he wasn’t sure where the pain came from. An injury from the front lines? He sighed as he began counting to relax his mind.

_“Hordak!”_

Who was calling him? Who was this woman? The darkness overcame him and he found rest.

Zelia and Sevgi walked down one of the passageways to the chamber where Horde Prime had the celestial being encased. Sevgi wondered if there would ever be a life that he and the others could have. A life free from Horde Prime. He entered the passcode to get into the chamber where the celestial being was. He saw Zelia sigh. She was obviously tired from trying to make contact day after day for the last ten years. But if she didn’t try, Horde Prime would not hesitate to punish her for being “lazy and inefficient.” Not that she was afraid of the punishments. She was stronger than she looked, but still...if she didn’t need to be punished, he’d rather her simply return to her room tired instead of beaten and bruised. She held her wrists out to him and he unclasped the shackles to free her hands. “Good luck,” he whispered.

She smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said as she walked to the glass encasement and took a deep breath before placing her hand on the glass.

 _“Bu gün mənimlə danışacaqsan,”_ she said.

A glow came from the encasement and Zelia’s eyes went white.

The celestial being used her magic to transport Zelia to a realm outside of the mothership. The silver mermaid-like being looked at the white haired woman who stood before her on a ring of water. She was weightless, floating in midair.

**_“Hello, Zelia. Are you enjoying the powers I gave you?”_ **

**_“So, you’re the one I felt last night…” she said._ **

**_She giggled. “Well I only did it because Era asked me too,” said the celestial being. “She was surprised to know you’re still alive. And here of all places,” she said._ **

**_Zelia’s eyes widened. “G-Goddess Era spoke to you?”_ **

**_She laughed. “My dear, I am Celestia. I am the mother of all the Universes,” she said proudly. “Goddess Era is one of my many, many, many children.”_ **

**_Zelia looked at her and the realm she was in. “How did you get here?”_ **

**_Celestia sighed, her body moving into a backflip before she came next to her. “If I knew the answer to why I am here, I would tell you. I don’t know what happened or why my powers have been weakened. But I told myself I would not use you as a conduit again until they arrive,” she said._ **

**_So the contact made when she first arrived was not by accident. “They? Who’s they?” Zelia asked. She’d never successfully made contact before and Celestia was just talking to her as if they had spoken only yesterday about a familiar topic._ **

**_Celestia moved her long index finger up Zelia’s neck, lifting her chin up. “The warriors of Etheria. The Princess of the new arrival will be with them. What did you say his name was? Hordak?”_ **

**_Zelia nodded nervously. “Yes, that’s the name he called himself. The Princess you speak of is named Entrapta.”_ **

**_“That girl...You’ll need her help to bring this ship down.”_ **

**_Zelia was dumbstruck. “Help with bringing this ship down?”_ **

**_“Yes. But you and the other warrior princess will need to cause a large distraction.”_ **

**_“Warrior princess?” She was trying to keep up. She had no idea what was going on or who any of these people were but she’d already made the contact and was not sure when the opportunity would come again for this._ **

**_Celestia nodded. “Her name is Adora but she was formerly the hero She-Ra. She has broken her sword and is unable to transform without it. But she is still a warrior trained by Hordak’s army. She may not have her sword, but she is still a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat.”_ **

**_Zelia clenched her fists. It had been years since she’d even trained properly. She was unsure how good of a fighter she would be given the years she’d spent here without so much as a training space or session. “Why are you bringing up combat?”_ **

**_Celestia moved her finger and gripped Zelia’s chin in her hand and let out a sinister chuckle. “You think I gave you that power just because? Oh my sweet girl, I need your help to destroy Horde Prime. Your magic was already powerful before you came here. Era was right to entrust this power to your family.”_ **

**_Zelia looked at Celestia. If she wanted to destroy Horde Prime, what would that mean for Sevgi? What would happen to the other clones?_ **

**_“Why now?” Zelia asked. “I’ve been here for almost ten years. You’ve been here longer than that. Why now?” she asked, almost frightened. She’d already been separated from her family. She didn’t want to lose Sevgi as well._ **

**_Celestia released her. “My magic has also been disrupted since I was separated from my partner, Galaxios. He travels across the cosmos and he will be nearing soon. My full power will return then. I’ve been dormant because I was not going to attack Horde Prime without ensuring my victory. I will return peace to the universe and erase him from existence.”_ **

**_“And his clones?”_ **

**_“Are you asking for your lover?” Celestia asked with a smirk._ **

**_Zelia didn’t even bother denying it. “That doesn’t answer my question,” she said. “What about his clones? They didn’t ask for this. They didn’t ask to be used as puppets and pawns in his quest for power. They had no choice in any of this because they were programmed to obey.”_ **

**_“And yet, your Sevgi and Hordak defected from that programming. A few others on this ship also have as well. All you had to do was show Sevgi kindness and the hold Horde Prime had begun to disappear. Your magic might be disrupted by those shackles, but the power that freed him was the genuine connection you two made. Same goes for Hordak. He was obsessed with returning to Horde Prime to prove his worth, but that Princess changed him in more ways than he would like to admit. You saw it when you touched him, didn’t you?” Celestia asked as she raised a silver brow to her._ **

**_“Yes. But how is that going to get those people you spoke of here? If the warrior doesn’t have her weapon, how is she going to fight?”_ **

**_“The people called First Ones created it to control the warrior She-Ra, however, it’s merely a tool. The sword was a tool to control her in order for her to use the planet as the weapon the First Ones created. Tragic really. All those women being controlled to carry a sword that would control them and bring destruction when the time calls for it. This girl however has broken the sword because she refuses to accept that she will be used as a weapon. A strong will can be very powerful. You know all about that, don’t you?” she said smirking at Zelia._ **

**_Zelia said nothing and wondered what Celestia was trying to say. What did this being know about her?_ **

**_“She will be helpful to you and the others. And if you can repair her sword and get your sword back, both of you will be able to use the power to defeat Horde Prime.”_ **

**_“And how am I to gain access to my sword? Horde Prime took it from me when he captured me from Eden. I have no idea where it is,” she said._ **

**_“You don’t. But one of those clones does.”_ **

**_She had never bothered to ask Sevgi if he knew where it was. Yes, he’d managed to get the key that removed her shackles, but did he know where her sword was? “I won’t put him in danger,” she said._ **

**_“You already have by falling in love with him. Do you really think Horde Prime will let you two be? He’ll be killed off and you’ll be to blame, Zelia.”_ **

**_Zelia looked at her, her eyes widening in fear. “I-I can’t lose him.”_ **

**_“You are used to loss though. Why would this one matter any differently?”_ **

**_Zelia looked at Celestia with shock and her expression then turned to pain. She opened her mouth but wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t owe you an explanation,” she said. “Just tell me how I can get my sword back to help this warrior you call She-Ra.”_ **

**_Celestia chuckled and moved over to her. “The new arrival, Hordak. He’ll be asked to resume his post by Horde Prime soon. That sick sadist has something cruel in mind for him… You will tell him that Princess Entrapta is the key to unlocking “The Heart of Etheria.” Horde Prime would give anything to harness its power. You will tell him that you will act as a liason for the Etherians. But to get the sword, you must ask your darling Sevgi to steal it for you.”_ **

**_Zelia’s eyes went wide. If Sevgi got caught… She exhaled and looked at Celestia. “I won’t agree unless you can promise Sevgi’s protection. I don’t care what happens to me, but please don’t let anything happen to him. If you can grant me your word that he will be safe from any harm, I will gladly let you use my body as a conduit as well as do what you ask when Galaxios arrives.”_ **

**_Celestia’s gray eyes widened some. “Interesting…but only if I grant him protection?”_ **

**_Zelia nodded. “Sevgi AND Hordak. If he’s going to be needed, you’ll need to ensure their protection. Then and only then, will I do what you ask,” Zelia said as she kneeled down and pulled a knife out of her heeled boots. “I will even give you my blood honor,” she stated as she held the knife over her right hand._ **

**_Celestia smirked, her fangs appearing. “Very well then, I will grant Sevgi AND Hordak my protection from Horde Prime’s downfall.” She closed her palm and then opened it to reveal two small gems. “Give these to them,” she said. “They are talismans for their protection. So long as they have them, they cannot be harmed.”_ **

**_Zelia took them from Celestia and placed them in her dress pocket. She took a deep breath and then sliced her hand with the knife. She then held her hand out to Celestia who took it. Zelia winced as Celestia tightly squeezed her hand before she moved her hand to bring her palm closer to her mouth. Celestia licked the blood with her long snake-like tongue before she moved to licking her hand._ **

**_“I haven’t had blood in so long. This taste…Perfect,” she said as her eyes changed from gray to red and back quickly._ **

**_“Thank you,” Zelia said as she healed her hand and stood._ **

**_“I’ll speak to you soon my love,” Celestia said._ **

Zelia came to in Sevgi’s arms. He was shaking her awake. She groaned and looked at him before hearing Horde Prime’s chilling voice.

“I take it your communication was successful, Sorceress?” Horde Prime asked.

She managed a nod as Sevgi helped her to her feet. She adjusted herself to look presentable. She looked at Horde Prime and bowed her head. “Yes. I was able to make contact and speak to her.”

Horde Prime smiled some. “Excellent. We shall discuss the details later. I suppose you are tired from being in contact, correct?”

She was shocked that he was...concerned for her well-being? “T-Thank you, Horde Prime ,” she replied. She looked at Sevgi and he stood aside. She needed to get out of here and regain her composure after what just happened. She excused herself and began walking to her quarters, forgetting that she didn’t have her hands clasped. She walked quickly out of the chamber. She exhaled a breath of relief as she heard Sevgi’s footsteps behind her. “I’m all right,” she said. “I apologize for causing you worry,” she whispered. 

“Don’t be,” he replied softly as he widened his stride to be at her side. His free hand touched hers. He had been fearful when he watched her in the chamber of the celestial being. Her eyes went white and she levitated off the floor floating in mid air for less than five minutes before she fell to the floor. She was still in a trance like state when she fell. He was thankful Horde Prime had asked him to check on her. When she came to, his heart almost stopped out of the sheer happiness that she was not dead. He noticed an upcoming hallway and motioned her to it. “Come with me,” he said.

She followed him and he pressed her against the wall. They were hidden in the darkness. She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly covered it and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he rested his spear against the wall and held her body in his arms.

He broke their kiss and caressed her face. In the darkness he could still see her facial expressions. She looked at him tenderly and smiled.

“Sevgi, I’m okay,” she whispered. “Nothing happened to me,” she said.

“Beloved, you don’t know how terrifying it was to see you fall and not know if you were well. I was thankful Horde Prime asked me to check on you. Had he waited a moment longer I would have broken all protocol to ensure you were not harmed,” he said as he moved the fabric of her turtleneck dress down so his lips could caress her neck. 

His lips on her skin sent a fire through her. 

“Sevgi...” she whispered. He’d already proven he loved her but this was dangerous. If they got caught...

She moaned in her throat as her thoughts were interrupted by his hands lifting her dress and touching her outside her black underwear.

“Ohh..” she panted. 

“Does this feel good?” he whispered in her ear as his fingers slid inside and caressed her.

She nodded. “Y-yes...”

His lips pressed against hers and he tenderly kissed her before his lips trailed down to her neck once more.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Just keep quiet, hold your dress and stay still,” he said, ripping her panties off her. 

She held onto her dress with her right hand. He kneeled before her and lifted her right leg over his shoulder. She bit her lip as his tongue licked her. She arched her back, her head hard against the wall as she fought her urge to sigh loudly. His hands held her in place as he caressed her ass with one hand and held her leg steady with his other.

She stood there as he began to lick and caress her. She held back her moans as her free hand pushed his head closer to her. 

Fuck. He was so good at this. His tongue stroked her as his fingers gently teased her. She was quivering and was dying to feel his hard length inside her. Her breathing became ragged as she struggled to keep still.

“More...” she said through gritted teeth.

His tongue caressed her slick folds as he moved his body to position himself under her to be right where he needed to be. He wouldn’t be able to give her what she was craving but he would bring her to her knees with his mouth and tongue. He kissed her sex and she wrapped her right leg around his head, panting with need.

She was breathing heavily through her nose as she worked up a sweat. The rhythm of his fingers and tongue was an orchestrated performance. She had to fight everything in her not to scream when his tongue gently stroked her inside. Her stomach tightened as her body came forward.

“Sevgi...please...” she panted. 

She was begging. He pressed a kiss on her wet sex and came up to caress her face. She was flushed and shaking a bit.

“Later,” he smiled. “I want to hear you say my name like you did last night,” he said as he unclasped the hold she had on her dress.

Zelia smiled and laughed. “I’m going to make sure you know just how I feel right now,” she said with a dark hunger in her eyes.

“I’m so scared,” Sevgi teased as he picked up her ripped panties and gave them to her. She blushed as she took them and made them vanish. “I don’t know why you even bother wearing those,” he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him as he led them out of the darkened hallway and back to her quarters.

When they approached her door both were surprised to see another set of guards.

“What’s the meaning of this?” she asked one of the guards.

“Horde Prime asked that we keep the prisoners here with you,” one of the guards replied.

“Prisoners?” Zelia asked as she opened her doors and saw two girls in her room.


	3. The Ruins of the Fright Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Etherian friends are making their way into the deserted Fright Zone. What will they find in the ruins?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little early posting because this week is going to be a very busy one! Thank you to everyone whose read so far, you have no idea how much I appreciate all of you ♥ Hope you like this chapter!

Adora, Bow, Swift Wind and Entrapta entered the now deserted Fright Zone. It was crumbling to pieces and the few that stayed behind were seen leaving with what little they had. Entrapta felt the nostalgia creeping in. 

The first time she’d come to the Fright Zone was to rescue Bow and Glimmer with the other Etherian princesses. She was fascinated when she first got to the Fright Zone. There was so much technology to be studied. She knew the other princesses were more concerned with getting Bow and Glimmer but she was more fascinated with learning how the Horde technology worked. This proved a distraction when she and Perfuma were asked to handle the lights. She wanted to help but she also wanted to learn about how the tech used by the Horde and how she could improve it. She was able to reconfigure one of the bots she came across inside the Horde prison. They had been able to rescue Bow and Adora went off to find Glimmer. She had told them to keep going and that she would catch up to them. Unfortunately, she’d been left behind when they tried to leave. She managed to hide in the air ducts and keep out of sight until she was found by Catra and Scorpia. After that, she helped Catra to tap into the Black Garnet to disrupt the planet. It was a fascinating experiment as she’d never had a rune stone to study. Then she and Hordak…

“Entrapta?” Adora asked concerned.

She snapped out of her memories and looked at Adora. “Yes?” she asked. 

“Do you know where Hordak’s lab is in all of this?” Adora asked looking around the destroyed Fright Zone.

Entrapta looked around the destroyed area they were in. Most of the walls had been blasted through with something which made it difficult to navigate. Even so, she walked through the debris and felt the familiarity of where she used to live. She did wish the vents were still in place, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She took in her surroundings before realizing where they were. 

“The lab should be this way,” she smiled as she used her prehensile hair to move some debris to clear a path for them. When they reached the sanctum, Entrapta’s eyes widened. It had been almost incinerated. Almost.

“The main computer doesn’t seem too badly damaged if I can just get into it, I can see what he was working on before he got taken,” she said as she turned on the device. 

Taken was probably the wrong word to use, after all he wanted to go back to Horde Prime. To prove that he wasn’t a defect. She focused on typing various combinations until she unlocked the computer. “It looks like he was working on some sort of plasma gun that was portable ...nothing else after that,” she commented as she looked at Bow and Adora discouraged that there was nothing useful she could say. 

They were on guard by the sound of something moving in the rubble. Adora grabbed a pipe, Bow pulled out his bow and arrow and Swift Wind unfurled his wings.

“SHOW YOURSELF!” Adora screamed.

Entrapta was curious as she walked towards the sound.

“ENTRAPTA!” Bow and Adora screamed.

Entrapta used her hair to move some of the rubble to find Imp. Her magenta eyes widened. He was curled up in a ball and looked at her weakly.

“Imp! Are you okay?” Entrapta asked as she picked him up. He let out a little sound and Entrapta held him close. She looked at Adora and Bow. “It’s okay! This is Imp,” she said. “He’s my little buddy,” she smiled as she wiped some dirt off his cheek. He was hurt. “I’ll make you feel better soon,” she whispered. She looked at Adora and Bow. “Well, there’s nothing following the portal trails. It seems he doesn’t have my notes on it,” she said. She wondered why. Then it hit her, she had put all her notes in Emily. She gasped. “I UPLOADED ALL MY DATA TO EMILY! WHERE IS SHE!?”

Bow, Adora, and Swift Wind blinked in confusion. “Who?”

“Emily, my bot. From when we went to rescue you and Glimmer from the Horde,” she said.

“The one you reprogrammed!” Bow said.

“YES! Do you know where she is?” Entrapta asked. “I uploaded all my data to her.”

“But how is that going to help us with getting Mara’s ship to work?” Adora asked.

“Well, I did a lot of experiments with some of the tech here in the Fright Zone. Some of that tech was for the Sciffs. I might be able to use some of the fundamental information from my experiments to see what I can do with Mara’s ship,” Entrapta said confidently. 

“Emily is in Bright Moon with Scorpia,” Adora said.

“Aww,” Entrapta said. Scorpia was always so sweet to her and Emily. “Well, let’s get back to Bright Moon,” she said. They walked around the deserted headquarters until Adora managed to find a Sciff that hadn’t been taken and they used that to get back to Bright Moon since they didn’t all fit on Swift Wind.

When they arrived, Perfuma was the first to welcome them and practically attacked Entrapta with a hug.

“ENTRAPTA!” she said crying. “YOU’RE ALIVE!”

“Well of course I am,” Entrapta said bluntly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Perfuma hugged her tightly. “We just thought we’d lost you again,” she said wiping her eyes. “I am so thankful to the universe that you are all right! And who's this?” Perfuma asked as she looked at Imp.

“This is Imp. He’s my little buddy,” said Entrapta as she smiled and hugged Perfuma carefully with her hair so as to not move Imp. “I missed you too,” she said. She wasn’t sure if that was the best thing to say but it felt like the right thing to say.

“ENTRAPTA!” Scorpia screamed as she ran towards her. 

Entrapta smiled wide. “SCORPIA!” She used her hair to move her to Scorpia and she hugged her with her hair. Then she heard a familiar beeping.

“EMILY!” Entrapta said, tears filling in her eyes. “Hi girl, how are you?”

Emily let out a series of beeps. 

“I missed you more,” Entrapta said as she let go of Scorpia and wrapped her hair around Emily. “Do you still have all my data and notes?” she asked.

Emily beeped.

“Great!” She smiled and then looked at Imp. He still hadn’t woken up. She looked at Bow and Adora. “Would you mind if I could have a room to put him in?” she asked nervously. 

Adora nodded and she showed Entrapta to her room. “You can use my room for now,” she said. “Is he going to be okay?” she asked.

“Hopefully. I think he’s just in shock from what happened. I’m going to see if I can get him to wake up,” Entrapta replied. 

“If you need anything, just ask,” Adora smiled as she walked out of the room. 

Entrapta laid Imp down on Adora’s bed.

“Hey little guy, did you get left behind? I know Hordak is with Horde Prime now. I’m sorry you got left behind too. But I’m here now. And so is Emily,” she said, holding back tears. “So please...if you can hear me, let me know.”

A chirping sound came from Imp and Entrapta’s eyes widened. “I’m here Imp,” she smiled. 

Imp’s eyes opened slowly and he smiled some. Entrapta scooped him up and hugged him. “I’m here baby, I’m here,” she smiled. 

Imp looked at her sadly before opening his mouth and replaying voices for her.

**”It’s too bad though, I was looking forward to meeting this Entrapta character before I left Bright Moon, but of course as you know she wasn’t there,”** said an unfamiliar voice.

**“What did you say?”** She could hear the confusion and hurt in Hordak’s voice.

**“Oh you don’t need to keep up the charade with me. I figured out the truth you had Catra send Entrapta to Beast Island so She-Ra would run off to rescue her. A brilliant idea the perfect distraction. I have to applaud your work you really had me going! So scorned by Entrapta’s betrayal. Even now you look like you have no idea. Brava! I mean I did consider the alternative, that Catra’s been lying to you this whole time. That she made you think she was your partner in crime when really _SHE’S_ the one who betrayed you. But between you and me there's no way she’s that good an actor. Well I’ll leave you to it. Great work all around.”**

Entrapta’s heart was hurting as she heard Hordak scream and pant heavily. Almost instinctively, her hair reacted to comfort him. She had to remind herself that he wasn’t here and that she couldn’t calm him down. 

“Imp…” she started but he interrupted her once more.

**”I KNOW ABOUT ENTRAPTA!”** Hordak screamed.

**“ENTRAPTA WAS A TRAITOR!”** Catra exclaimed.

**“I _TRUSTED_ YOU! YOUR DAYS WERE NUMBERED THE MOMENT YOU CROSSED ME! AFTER I’M THROUGH, YOU CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE THE PUNISHMENTS HORDE PRIME WILL INFLICT UPON YOU!”**

Her eyes widened. Catra lied to him about her? She felt tears stream down her face. Why? Why would Catra do that? She thought they were friends...She took a deep breath. She didn’t have time to cry. She had to help her friends. Her real friends.

Imp nuzzled against her, tears coming from his eyes.

Entrapta hugged him. “We’ll get him back,” she said trying to smile. “But can you be a good baby and stay here? Also you have play nice with my friends,” she said nervously.

He nodded against her. “Good.” She sat down on the bed and rocked him. He was going to need food and care. She wondered if it was okay to ask Perfuma if she could watch over him. She lay him down and gently caressed his cheek with her hair. 

She walked out of the room to see Adora waiting for her.

“Hey...Is everything okay?” Adora asked.

“You waited for me?” Entrapta asked surprised.

“Yeah. I know that Imp was close to Hordak and well...you were close to Hordak.”

Entrapta smiled softly. “He’s a little hurt, but I think he’ll be fine. Do you know where Perfuma is? I think she might be the best person to watch over him while Bow and I are researching Mara’s ship.”

“I’ll get Perfuma if you want to go and find Bow,” Adora said.

“I’m going to wait here for her,” Entrapta said somewhat defensively. “I need to tell her about Imp before I go to Bow,” she said.

“Oh! That makes a lot of sense. Wait here. I’ll go get her,” Adora smiled as she walked off to find Perfuma. 

Entrapta walked back into the room and kneeled down near the bed in front of Imp. “So, he really thought I betrayed him?” she asked sadly.

Imp nodded, his face distraught.

Entrapta thought about what was said in those repetitions Imp did for her. “I can’t believe Catra would lie to him about me,” she sighed. Then she thought about his anger and smiled a bit. He was angry because he knew she wouldn’t betray him. He must’ve known that she was fond of him...he had to. She wrote it on his crystal “LUVD.” She gently stroked Imp’s head.

“Well, I’m going to bring him back. Don’t you worry.” She needed to bring him back. For Imp. And to apologize for being so naive and trusting of Catra that she was sent to Beast Island for refusing to open the portal they had worked so hard on.  
She couldn’t deny that something about him made her feel...safe. Normal. Wanted. He felt like home. A knock on the door disrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she said.

“Entrapta, Adora said you needed me,” Perfuma said as she entered the room. “Aww, he’s awake,” she smiled.

Entrapta stood up and smiled at Perfuma. “I wanted to know if you could watch over him while Bow and I figure out how to work Mara’s ship to rescue Glimmer.”

Perfuma smiled. “I would be so happy to help you! What do I need to know,” she said as she kneeled down next to Entrapta. 

“He likes to play a lot. He might not be able to fly just yet but he does like to fly when he can and he loves climbing walls. He’ll play hide and seek if you don’t watch him closely. He’ll eat almost anything, he’s not picky. He’s really affectionate too once he gets comfortable with you,” she said looking at Perfuma. “Promise me you’ll be good to him.”

“Of course I will. You can count on me,” Perfuma smiled. “Go and find Bow. I know you two will be able to fix Mara’s ship soon.”

Entrapta hugged her quickly and got up to go and find Bow. She saw him poking Emily while Scorpia laughed.

“Hey Bow, are you ready to help make Mara’s ship work?” she asked.

Bow nodded excitedly. She walked towards Bow.

“ENTRAPTA! I’m so glad you’re okay,” Scorpia said, smiling wide.

Entrapta hugged Scorpia. “Thank you for telling them where I was,” she replied. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“I’m just glad you’re back safe and sound,” Scorpia said.

Entrapta looked at Bow who was poking Emily. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“I was just trying to figure out how to get Emily to share her notes with me,” he asked.

“Oh, Emily, you can give Bow access to my research. He’s a master builder too,” she said smiling. They said good-bye to Scorpia and they walked towards Mara’s ship with Emily following them as they talked about what tools they would need.

Entrapta looked at Bow a little worried. “Hey, you mentioned that Adora broke the sword of She-Ra. Do you think that was the best thing she could have done?”

Bow looked at Entrapta. “It was the only way to prevent her from being used as a weapon.”

Entrapta recalled telling Adora about the Heart of Etheria and how it was an intricate super weapon created by the First Ones that was controlled by the sword of She-Ra and She-Ra herself. If Adora destroyed it, there would be no way to reactivate the weapon unless the sword was put back together. “But what if that’s the only thing that can protect us from the Horde?” Entrapta asked. She looked up at the ships that had already come through. They had remained in the sky, meaning that there was probably some order to prevent them from making contact.

Bow looked at her. “You think they’ll come down and attack us?” 

Entrapta looked at him. “If Horde Prime is anything like Hordak mentioned, he’s calculating his next move so we need to move quickly,” she said.

“Do you think he’ll hurt Glimmer?”

Entrapta stayed quiet. “I don’t know.” She truly didn’t know what the fate of her friend would be. She was more concerned about what Hordak was doing. Was he okay? “Do you know if Adora kept the shards of the sword?” she asked.

“I think so, why?”

“I just want to make sure we have it in case we need it,” Entrapta said smiling some. The Sword of Protection was First One’s tech and if she rebuild it, she might be able to protect them in space and from Horde Prime.


	4. And They Were Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelia meets her new roommates and learns that they are the Etherians Celestia spoke of. What will she learn from them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Also, so sorry it has taken me almost two weeks to post! No one told me being an IT student was going to be draining. I'm loving it though because it's my final year and I'm learning so much!

“And who are you two?” Zelia asked as she walked into her room and looked at the two girls. One of the girls was taller than the other by a few inches. She had dark hair and looked like she’d seen combat judging by the scratches on her helmet and face. The other girl had dual toned hair and seemed somewhat unharmed, but was bothered. Zelia took a breath and bowed to them politely. “My apologies, how rude of me. I am Zelia. I’m Horde Prime’s resident Sorceress and a former Queen from my world of Eden,” she smiled. 

“Force Captain Catra,” said the taller girl with dark hair.

“Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon,” said the other. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

Zelia’s smile became sad and she took a deep breath. It was always hard for her to admit how long she’d been here. “I’ve been here for almost ten years,” she said looking at them. 

“TEN YEARS!” Glimmer exclaimed. “THE HORDE HAS BEEN ON ETHERIA LONGER THAN THAT AND YOU’RE _FINE_ WITH IT?!”

Sevgi gripped his spear, ready to come to her defense and saw Zelia shaking her head. He scowled and stayed still standing by the door.

Zelia looked at Glimmer. “You said you were a Queen, correct?” Zelia asked venomously. 

The one who called herself Catra seemed to feel a shift of power from the other Queen in the room and smirked to herself.

“Sparkles here is a new Queen,” Catra interjected. “She’s only been in power a short time.”

Glimmer scowled and Zelia put a hand on her hip chuckling. 

“Well, that explains a lot. You’re a young Queen, Glimmer. You haven’t lived **AS** a Queen through war.”

“I WAS RAISED IN THIS WAR!” Glimmer retorted angrily.

Zelia rose a brow at her. “Oh? You may have been raised in it, but not like I have,” she said stepping closer to the younger Queen. “I’ve seen combat. I’ve killed people with my sword. I’ve killed people with my magic and even some with my own two hands,” she said she touched the girl's cheek with her index finger. “I’ve struck deals with warlords and done things you cannot even think of doing. Despite my appearance I am over a thousand years old. Ten years is not much compared to the life I lived before this. So when you use the word _‘fine’_ I don’t think you know the whole story,” she smiled cruelly, her eyes darkening as she closed the space between them and looked down at Glimmer. “Do I want to be here? No. But it was this or be killed. I was spared. And when you are spared, you do what you can to survive to return to your kingdom if you can. So before you look down on me for _‘being fine with it’_ I hope as a Queen you can think for a moment that I am here because I am the sole survivor of my world. I sacrificed being captured to help my people escape from Horde Prime’s conquest.”

Glimmer’s eyes widened and Catra’s mouth dropped. 

“You have been in this war for your young life but you haven’t seen what he has done to the other worlds he’s conquered,” she sneered. “Being here on the Mothership...this was the safest place for me to be,” she exhaled, releasing her anger. She met Sevgi’s eyes and smiled some. She then looked at the girls. “My time here hasn’t been completely horrible. I have my work and as long as I do that, Horde Prime doesn’t bother me. Which is a luxury if you ask me. Look since you’re here and might be here a while, let me at least make some room for you,” she said as she opened a closet and pulled out a cot. “You girls can share the bed,” she said. “I’ll sleep on this.” She placed it near the chair that she had brought in for Sevgi.

“Hey Zelia, who's the clone?” Catra asked.

Zelia looked at Sevgi and then at Catra. “This is my personal escort. My “companion” as Horde Prime called him. He’s assigned to me to ensure I go to work every day,” she said. “He’s harmless I assure you.” 

“You can call me H-105,” Sevgi said revealing his given name. “Should you ladies need anything, please ask.”

Catra’s ears twitched some. She seemed very untrusting of others. Zelia would have to use the Seer ability to see why that was. “Are you girls hungry?” she asked.

They looked at her with wide eyes and then their stomachs growled.

Zelia chuckled. “Haha! 105,” she said, almost cringing as she said it. She stood up and pulled the talismans from her pocket. “Would you kindly get us some food and tea please?” she asked, taking his hand. “One is for you and the other is for Hordak. I’ll explain later,” she whispered.

“As you wish,” he said as he took them. He placed his spear near the door and walked out of the room.

He stepped out of the room and the other clones looked at him.

“The prisoners are in need of nourishment. I will return shortly,” he said to both guards outside Zelia’s door. They nodded and he walked off towards the Reconditioning room. He wondered if Hordak was still asleep. He entered the passcode on the pinpad outside the door and walked in. Hordak seemed to be waking up. He closed the door.

“Are you all right, Hordak?” he asked.

Hordak looked at the clone the woman named Zelia called Sevgi. He nodded softly, his mind still somewhat muddled. “Yes, I seem to be doing fine.”

Sevgi walked over to him. “You can be honest with me,” he said. “I assure you I’m not a spy for Horde Prime.”

Hordak looked at him, his eyes narrowing somewhat. “What _really_ happened to me?”

Sevgi’s eyes saddened some. “He sent you off in hopes you would die. We were told you vanished and then returned. That is all I know. I can ask Zelia to help you regain your memories if you wish.”

“I do not think at the moment that would be wise,” Hordak said. “But I would like to speak with her if she has time,” he said.

Sevgi noticed his eyes were slowly losing their red hue for a more lime green hue. “I will relay the message,” he said smiling kindly towards his brother. “Oh, she asked me to give this to you,” he said pulling out one of the talismans. 

“What is it?” Hordak asked as he took the small clear gem in his hand. 

“She simply said it was for us. She has yet to elaborate on what it does, but I think it’s for protection,” he said taking a guess.

Hordak looked at it once more before placing it in his mouth and swallowing it. 

Sevgi was unsure if that was the best idea but said nothing. “We will come to visit you soon.”

“Do take your time. And send her my thanks for the gem,” Hordak said.

Sevgi looked at him. “Has he come to visit you?”

“Not since you and Zelia came. I’m not sure what he’s thinking of doing to me,” he said, somewhat frightened.

Sevgi touched his shoulder. He was somewhat getting comfortable with the idea of showing affection, but he knew that for Hordak, the idea was foreign. “You are no longer alone. Should you need me or Zelia, just ask for us,” he said smiling at his brother.

Hordak smiled some. “Thank you, Sevgi.”

“Well, I must be off. I was asked to get Zelia and her new guests some nourishment. Good-bye, Hordak,” he said as he opened the door and walked out to head towards the kitchen.

Hordak could hear that woman’s voice calling his name over and over in his head. Who was she? Could Zelia tell him why he was having a hard time forgetting this voice?

~*~*~*~

Zelia could feel her heart pounding as she watched Sevgi walk out the door. She turned to Catra and Glimmer. “So, are you two friends?”

“NO!” they both screamed in unison.

“Okay then….” Zelia said. “So, how did you two end up here?”

Catra looked at Glimmer. “Sparkles here wanted to use the Heart of Etheria against Horde Prime and when it backfired, we found ourselves here.”

“OH SO IT’S MY FAULT?!” Glimmer screamed.

“I mean…” Catra said, looking at her.

“What’s the Heart of Etheria?” Zelia asked. She had only heard that name earlier today with Celestia. 

Glimmer looked somewhat ashamed.

Zelia looked at Catra and then at Glimmer. 

Glimmer exhaled and began to inform Zelia that it was a weapon at the center of the planet that was created by the First Ones. It was powerful. Powerful enough to destroy the planet and surrounding area. That’s why the previous She-Ra, Mara, hid Etheria in Despondos so that the weapon could never be used. In her fear for protecting her planet, Glimmer unknowingly helped a program called Light Hope to initiate the balancing of the planet to use the weapon. Somehow, it did not get set off and they found themselves here.

“And you told Horde Prime you can help him use it I’m guessing?” she asked looking at them.

“We didn’t have a choice!” Catra exclaimed.

Zelia could see the fear in their eyes and knew that they reacted in order to protect one another. She looked at them. “Do you really know anything about the weapon?” she asked.

Catra said nothing.

“CATRA WHY DID YOU TELL HIM YOU KNEW HOW TO USE IT?!” Glimmer screamed.

“I WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIM FROM HURTING YOU!” Catra admitted, quickly turning her body away from them.

Sensing the need to intervene Zelia stepped in between them. “There’s no need to fight or be angry with one another. Despite what happened, you are safe. You’re here now and I promise I’ll do what I can to help you,” Zelia said. 

The two girls looked at her skeptically. 

Zelia sighed. “Listen, I know you’re probably thinking ‘how can I help you if I couldn’t even help myself,’ right? Well the truth is, I’ve been on my own for so long. After the first few months, I started to adjust. But I know one thing: I can’t get out of here on my own. So, don’t doubt me when I say I can help. I’ve learned much in my time here, I just haven’t had anyone to help me find the way out.”

“Not even the Clone?” asked Catra. 

Zelia’s eyes narrowed. “Look, I’d rather not get him involved. Despite being Horde Prime’s clone, he’s been very kind to me. I don’t want him to get involved because...well let’s just say Reconditioning would be the least horrible thing Horde Prime could do.”  
The two girls looked at her. 

“What happened to Hordak?” asked Catra. “Was he Reconditioned?”

Zelia nodded. “Yes. He’s lucky that’s all that’s happened to him for now,” she said. She couldn’t tell them everything. Not yet. “Anyway,” she said walking over to them. “Welcome to the Mothership. Please feel free to make yourselves at home. I don’t know where everything is here but we have amenities like a bathroom and a bath over here,” she said, showing them the other side of her room that was hidden with a sliding frame.

“If you need privacy just let me know. I can ask 105 to step out.”

The two girls looked at one another.

“You mean...he watches you?”

Zelia didn’t think it was odd considering that he’d always turned around and faced the door. “Well he’s never seen me in the bath or naked in that aspect,” she said. It wasn’t a total lie. “But he does have to be in this room with me at all times per Horde Prime’s orders. I assure you, 105 isn’t evil and you shouldn’t think badly of him.”

“You really think he doesn’t report that to Horde Prime?”

Zelia sighed. “If Horde Prime wanted to know what I look like naked, he’d come in here and watch. I’m just thankful that thought hasn’t crossed his mind and he’s left me alone.”

Catra and Glimmer seemed uneasy. They didn’t know the extent of Horde Prime’s sadistic thinking and how he loved to toy with people. She’d heard once that he had kidnapped a woman from a planet and forced her to bear him a child. She went mad and tried to kill the child but ended up being executed. Zelia thought maybe that was the only way to escape him. While she could not understand why the woman would want to kill her child, she could not judge her. She was not in her position and was in no hurry to know what became of those who married Horde Prime. 

“Anyway, I just want to let you know that you can relax and rest here. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time here.”

Glimmer looked at her. “Can we rest after we get food?”

“Of course,” Zelia smiled.

“Your food is here,” Sevgi said as he walked in with a tray of food.

“Thank you so much, 105,” Zelia smiled. She hated not being able to call him by his name. She walked over to him and took the tray. Their fingers touched for a moment and she blushed lightly.

“You are most welcome,” he said as he returned to his post near the door.

She walked over to the girls and set the tray down on the bed. “Here you are,” she said, placing down the bread, meat and fruit plate. There was a small teapot with a flower tea for stress. “I hope it’s to your liking,” she smiled. 

Catra didn’t hesitate to grab a slice of bread and some pieces of meat. She ate them quickly. Glimmer grabbed a few pieces of fruit and ate them slowly.

“If you need more, we can always get more. Is there something you would like to eat?” she asked as she poured herself a cup of tea.

“I would really love some fish,” Catra stated.

“We can do that. And what about you, Glimmer?” Zelia asked.

Glimmer looked at Zelia. “I would really just like more of this,” she said.

Zelia nodded. “Okay.” She looked at Sevgi. “105, would you mind, please?”

“Not at all,” he said as he opened the door and walked out.

“He’s really obedient,” Catra said. “How did you manage that?”

Zelia rose a brow. “Manage? Um, well I just ask nicely and he does it...Horde Prime also assigned him to me, so that probably has more to do with why he listens so well,” she lied.

“How do I get one?” Catra asked.

Zelia looked at her. “Well, if you’re here with me I don’t think Horde Prime will give you one,” she stated bluntly. “Besides, if you ask him nicely, he’ll bring you whatever you like,” she said.

“She’s not big into sharing,” Glimmer said.

Catra’s dual toned eyes narrowed as she looked away from Glimmer.

“I know I just met you, but you both need to learn to work together if we’re going to get out of here.” 

“And how are we going to do that?” Catra asked. 

Zelia smiled and put her hand out. “Give me your hand please,” she said.

Catra rose a brow but did as she was asked.

Zelia took her hand and used her Seer ability. Catra’s life had been anything but easy. She was orphaned as a child and was taken in by Shadow Weaver. She always second best to Adora who was Shadow Weaver’s favorite. Catra tried to prove her worth and in doing so made many decisions that seemed to yield her results but more often than not failed. She was persistent and never stopped going after what she wanted even if it meant hurting others in the process. She just wanted some validation and compassion. Zelia let her hand go.

“So, you're good at hand to hand combat?” Zelia asked. 

“How did you know?” Catra asked blinking in surprise.

“You have some rough hands. Calloused from what I assume is years of rigorous training,” she stated. “Maybe you can help me with my skills. It’s been a long time since I’ve sparred with anyone,” she said.

Catra’s eyes widened a bit and she could see a sense of purpose growing in her eyes. “Y-yeah. I can do that,” she said. 

“We’ll have to ask 105 to leave though. If he reports to Horde Prime what we’re doing it might not end well for us,” she replied as she gave Catra a soft smile. 

Catra smiled and Zelia could tell it was probably one of the most genuine smiles she’d ever given someone.

“Glimmer, can I see your hand?” Zelia asked as she walked over to her.

“Why? What are you planning on doing?” Glimmer questioned defensively.

Zelia looked at her. “Holding your hand for a moment. That’s all,” she said. “I did it to Catra and she’s fine.”

Glimmer seemed reluctant but held out her hand. 

Zelia took it and saw that Glimmer had lost her father as a child and her mother very recently. She was trying her hardest to be the leader everyone wanted but was discouraged because she was not as powerful as Adora aka She-Ra. The change in her behavior came after finding out there was a mole in her kingdom of Bright Moon and learning about Horde Prime coming. She was still somewhat lost and trying her best. In hindsight, she and Catra had a few things in common. She let go of her hand.

“If you’d like, I’m sure Catra wouldn’t mind teaching you how to spar,” she said kindly. “You’re a descendant of magic right?” she asked. “I might not know your magic per se, but I am a Sorceress. I might be able to help you,” she smiled.

Glimmer looked at her and was about to say something when a knock startled them.

“My Lady, may I come in?” Sevgi asked.

Zelia chuckled from her misplaced fear. “You can come in,” she said through her chuckle.

The door opened and Sevgi and one other clone came in. One tray was filled with fish and the other was another was another loaded bread, meat and fruit plate. They both walked over and placed the trays on the bed.

“Is there anything else we can do for you, ladies?” Sevgi asked.

“No that should be all for now. Thank you,” Zelia smiled. She watched as they walked out and looked at the girls.

“Try to be nice to them,” she said. “I know they may be clones of Horde Prime, but they didn’t ask to be cloned. They didn’t have any choice in this if you really think about it.”

Glimmer looked at her. “Have you always been so compassionate?”

Zelia looked at her. “When you live as long as I have, you’ll understand compassion is a strength, not a weakness.”


	5. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What makes a good friend? Bow helps Entrapta realize her insecurities are nothing to be ashamed of. 
> 
> A/N: Heads up! This chapter is a tad short and I do apologize but I will be double posting as my way of saying I’m sorry to make you read something so short <3 I have a lot in my head that I’m writing that will make this worth it I promise. I mean, at least I hope it’s worth it for you.

Entrapta and Bow were inside Mara’s ship, touching different buttons to see what each one did. They were about 40% complete with configuring most of the controls and buttons.

“Okay, so we’ve tested most of the controls,” Bow said as he spoke into his recorder. “Entrapta and I have learned that Mara’s ship can function well without the Sword of Protection. That being said, we haven’t been able to get the ship to fly just yet.”

“BUT WE STILL HAVE A FEW THINGS TO TRY!” Entrapta interjected as she popped up from under one of the control tables.

She let him go and went to Mara’s chair. “Now, let’s see what you do,” she said as she took out a digital pad and began drawing out the control panel. She uploaded the drawing to Emily and began pressing buttons. 

Bow had already advised Entrapta that the majority of the buttons on the chair were only for Adora. While there was voice control, only Adora could access it. 

“Fascinating,” Entrapta said as she typed some notes onto her tablet and pulled a pen out to draw something.

“What?” Bow asked.

“If Adora can command this, it means the ship itself is merely a transport. So we don’t need the sword, we just need Adora to get us there.”

“You think so?” Bow asked.

Entrapta nodded. “All the tech here is enough to get us there. We just need to suit up and get ready to go. As well as running numbers to see if we can actually make it out into space,” she said nervously.

Bow looked at Entrapta and stopped recording. “Hey, can I ask you something?” 

Entrapta walked over to him. “What do you want to ask me?” 

“Why were you crying?” Bow asked concerned.

Entrapta’s magenta eyes widened. “What are you talking about? I wasn’t crying,” she said, forcing a smile.

“When Adora and I came back from the Fright Zone, you were crying.”

Entrapta swallowed hard and looked at Bow. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have noticed,” she said. She sighed before using her hair to make a chair and sitting on it. “The truth is…” she wasn’t sure how to proceed.

“Are you worried about Hordak?” Bow asked.

Entrapta’s eyes started to water and she wiped her eyes. She gasped when Bow wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

“It’s okay to be worried. You said he was your friend, right? It’s okay to feel the way you’re feeling right now for him,” Bow said reassuringly.

Entrapta hugged Bow back and smiled. “It’s not weird?” she asked.

Bow shook his head. “Not at all. Maybe if we take a break and you talk about it, it’ll help?” 

Entrapta smiled wide and nodded. “I think that would help,” she said.

Bow let her go and sat down in front of her. “So, aside being the leader of the Horde...what was he like when you lived in the Fright Zone?”

Entrapta smiled wide as she remembered their first real interaction. “Well, I was surprised to find out he was more of a scientist than a dictator to be honest. The first time I really really interacted with him was when I rewired his power source.”

“His power source?” Bow asked.

She nodded. “Yes. You see, he was working on creating a portal and he had mentioned to me how many other worlds there are. At the time, it was so amazing to hear that other worlds existed. He was a little blunt about how I didn’t know about them but let’s be honest, I didn’t know other worlds existed at the time,” she said.

Bow smiled as she spoke quickly and could see that she had a fondness for Hordak. He listened as Entrapta mentioned that she had surprised Hordak when she managed to help him fix his power source. 

“So he was surprised when you made it work?” Bow asked.

“SO SURPRISED!” Entrapta exclaimed. “I originally wasn’t going to go into his lab despite needing a six sided hex driver, but I needed it to fix the table in my room and well, from there I just took it upon myself for the sake of science to fix it for him.”

“It’s because you’re genuinely thoughtful,” Bow said. “A quality of a good friend.”

Entrapta looked at him surprised. “So, I am a good friend?” 

Bow nodded. “You’ve always been a good friend. Maybe a little different than most people are used to, but clearly your friendship with Hordak was good.”

She smiled and blushed a little. “Yeah, it was.”

Bow could see she was feeling a little better. “Are you ready to get back to work?” he asked.

“YES! And thank you,” she smiled. “I needed that.”

“Anytime you need to vent, just let me know,” Bow smiled.

Entrapta stepped down from her hair and hugged Bow. “I will, Bow. Thank you so much.” She’d never taken into account how talking to others was helpful. She’d spent so much time alone since her parents had both passed. When her mother died, she always counted on her father to be the one to talk to. He understood her and how she liked to communicate. It was never a push to get her to talk. They would be working and then she’d say something. He always picked up on her queues because he was just like her. 

_“Do you ever think I’m weird, Dad?” she asked one day when they were working on a new bot._

_“No. I don’t,” he smiled. “Just because you aren’t like the other Princesses doesn’t make you any less than. Most of the Princesses have powers that are supplied by a magical stone, but what would happen if that stone no longer existed or fell into the wrong hands? Do you think that they would be able to do anything without that magic? You’re special because you don’t need a stone to give you power. Your power comes from everything you’ve learned. You’re not only smart, but you're incredibly resourceful,” he smiled as she put her mask down to begin welding._

_He put his mask down too and watched as they completed yet another bot to navigate their new labyrinth palace._

_“IT’S DONE!” Entrapta smiled as she looked at her father._

_He smiled at her. “Well done. Now, what should our next project be?”_

Entrapta looked at Bow. “Hey Bow, what can I do to help you understand all this so that you can be on my level?” she smiled. She was told by Adora a while ago that Bow had often doubted that he would ever be able to be as great of a master builder as her. 

Bow’s eyes widened with excitement. 

Entrapta giggled nervously. “Come on, you’re just as smart as I am. Definitely just as creative too, so what can I do to make you a better master builder?”

Bow hugged her with happiness and then started telling her that he wanted to look at her notes and learn from her about the integration of magic and science.

Entrapta couldn't tell who was more excited at the moment as she pulled up her notes from Emily’s drive.


	6. Dining with the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime invites Zelia to dinner to discuss her recent contact. You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
> 
> A/N: Double post cause I can't leave you guys with a short chapter. It would literally devastate me if I intentionally did that to you.

Sevgi stood outside the door to give the ladies time to change. Normally, Zelia just used her folding screen but tonight was different. She was no longer alone with the addition of the new arrivals, Catra and Glimmer. He was in no place to argue over the logistics of how he shouldn’t be invasive to the new arrivals. He was somewhat disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to hold Zelia as she slept tonight. He heard footsteps and watched as a messenger came down the hall.

“A message from Horde Prime. You must bring the Sorceress to his chamber on this level to discuss her contact with the celestial being today.”

“Understood. I will bring her once she’s dressed,” Sevgi said. He’d almost forgotten that Horde Prime had wanted to see her. It was strange...this was the first time since she arrived that he wanted to speak to her privately in his chamber. The messenger walked off and he turned to knock on the door.

“Come in,” Zelia said. 

He opened the gray door and entered the white room. He saw that Catra and Glimmer were already in bed and Zelia was tying her purple robe around her waist. She wore a black silk nightgown underneath. 

He looked at her.

“What’s the matter?” Zelia asked as she looked at him.

“Horde Prime wishes to speak with you about the contact you made today.”

“Oh yes, I completely forgot,” she said nervously. “Well...best not keep him waiting,” she said sighing. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Catra asked her as she sat up.

Zelia nodded. “Yes. I’ll be fine, just have to discuss something that happened today. That’s all,” she said.

Glimmer looked at her, worried.

“I’m going to be fine, girls. Besides, 105 will make sure nothing happens to me, right?” she asked, touching his arm.

“Of course,” he said looking at the two girls. “You can rest assured that she will be protected. I will be by her side the entire time.”

It seemed to be enough for them as Glimmer pulled the covers over her. Catra curled up in a ball next to her and rested her head on her forearms.

“Sleep well, girls. I’ll be back soon,” she said. Zelia looked at Sevgi as she held her wrists out and he clasped the links to bind her.

“Let us go,” he said as he walked out of the room. She followed after him and they walked towards Horde Prime’s chamber. It was a long walk from her chamber to his.

Sevgi led her through one of the less used hallways.

“Did you give Hordak the talisman?” she asked, looking at him.

“Yes, Beloved. I did. He would like to see you when you get a chance. Also, are we supposed to eat it?” he asked curiously.

“Maybe tomorrow we can stop by and see him,” she smiled. “Eating it might be best,” she said. “So long as you have it you’ll be safe,” she added as she looked at him quickly before looking at the floor.

“From what? I thought your magic-” he said before she cut him off.

“My magic isn’t strong enough to protect you from what she’s planning,” she said defensively. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

He gently grabbed her arm and looked at her.

“What do you mean safe? From what?”

She looked helpless. “Sevgi, please we can’t be late.” 

He scowled but understood that they needed to get to Horde Prime’s chambers. He let her go and could see the pain in her face as she began walking. She was afraid of something. He motioned her towards another hallway. The hallway they came into was an illuminated hallway that lead to a silver door with lime green detail.

He knocked on the door twice. He looked at Zelia who took a deep breath.

“Come in,” Horde Prime said.

Sevgi opened the door and Zelia walked in. 

She looked at the room. It was definitely the room of a conqueror. He had trophies of worlds and galaxies he’d made his own. Remnants of the old world on display for him to justify his conquest. She was the trophy from Eden. But better her than any of the treasures hidden within the planet. She noticed that in the center of his room was a dining table with a meal for two. She bowed her head to him.

“Good evening Horde Prime,” she said. 

“Little Brother, please remove her binding,” Horde Prime said.

Sevgi unclasped her shackles and she moved her wrists. 

“Thank you,105” she said. 

“You are welcome, Sorceress,” Sevgi replied as he walked and stood by the door, his back to them.

“You taught him manners?” Horde Prime asked, amused.

She smiled nervously. “There are some things as a Queen,” she stopped for a second and then continued. “My apologies, _former Queen_ that I am accustomed to,” she replied. “I apologize for being underdressed for dinner. I thought this would be a short meeting.”

“I did call on you rather late. Still, you look beautiful,” he smiled. “Please, take a seat,” he said as he motioned to the empty chair in front of him.

She walked over and took a seat. She took the napkin and folded it across her lap as she crossed one ankle behind the other.

“Old habits?” Horde Prime asked as he looked at her.

“Yes,” she smiled. “When I came of age to be considered to be a Queen, I was put through rigorous etiquette training.”

“Well, hopefully conversation was one of those skills,” he said as he looked at her.

“Indeed. Conversation is an art not all can master,” she said. “You haven’t told me what you want to know,” she smirked as she took the glass of water that was placed next to her plate of what looked like rice and meat before she took a drink.

“What happened with the contact you made today?” he asked.

She put her glass down. “She mentioned something about the new arrival. She called him ‘Hordak’ if I remember correctly,” she said.

“That ridiculous name. Did you remove it from him?” he asked as he poured himself a glass of a dark liquid. 

“Yes,” she lied with a smile. “I did as you asked. But she mentioned that there was someone on the planet who knew how to use the weapon called ‘The Heart of Etheria.’ She also mentioned that we need to be careful with it.”

“The feline woman said she knew how to use it. Was she lying?”

“Her name is Catra, Horde Prime. I can’t say what she knows. I have not asked her what she knows about this weapon. I only know what the celestial being told me,” she said leaning back and bringing her right leg up slightly, the bottom of her robe opening and exposing some skin on her leg.

Horde Prime chuckled. “So, this celestial being. She is issuing out warnings but she wouldn’t say why?”

“Contact was still made, Horde Prime…” she started. “If you wish to know more, I would like to reiterate that these shackles disrupt my magic. There’s a reason I was under for a short amount of time but if I could-“

“Are you suggesting I grant you **_full_** access to your power?” he said, all four of his eyes narrowing.

Zelia smirked and rose a brow. “Well, then I suppose learning how to use the weapon to its full capability is ** _not_** something you want,” she said taking a bite of the meat as she cocked her head to the left as she chewed.

“What did you say?” Horde Prime asked. 

The look on his face showed that he had knowledge of just how powerful the weapon was. Or maybe it was more than he was expecting? 

“Oh, I was going to mention how if I had my full power I might be able to do what she asked.”

“Are you withholding information?” he sneered.

“As far as I know, you won’t learn anything if you continue to undermine me,” she said as she crossed her right leg over her left knee. Her robe exposing her toned leg. She needed his attention in order to get him to listen. “Horde Prime, I’m not some weakling because I didn’t make full contact until now. If you want to know what she said, you’ll stop interrupting me and listen,” she said in a commanding stern tone. 

Sevgi had chills hearing her speak so confidently. It reminded him of when she first arrived. She refused to give in to Horde Prime’s threats. She was not afraid of death, and when one is not afraid of Horde Prime, he has to compensate for it with physical torture or mental abuse. Zelia clearly was not afraid of either after being here as long as she had. She was an asset whether Horde Prime wanted to admit it or not.

“I did not know I was being rude. Please, Sorceress, do tell what the celestial being has told you,” Horde Prime said politely, yet holding back some anger as he looked at her. His two main eyes trying to stay on her face. 

Zelia took another drink and looked at him. “Those new arrivals, they know about the weapon. They know how it can be used, but not how to fully unlock it’s capability. Hordak had an assistant when he was on Etheria. A Princess named Entrapta. If we can bring her here, we can use her knowledge to unlock the weapon so it can be used in the next invasion,” she said.

“The small noisy girl with the hair?”

“I did not see her,” she lied. “But if her name was Entrapta, then she is the genius who knows how to unlock the weapon.”

“With my Little Brother Reconditioned, how do you plan to bring them here?” he asked, pouring her a drink of the dark liquid.

“Send me and 105 to Etheria,” she said, taking the glass he poured for her. A dark wine. Not her preferred choice; she was more of a white wine fan but the bitter taste would at least numb the interaction. “The Etherians don’t know what you look like. We can go as emissaries and say we are on a good will mission. We haven’t made contact with them. Going as emissaries will give us the advantage to bring her here where she cannot escape. We can say we will exchange the prisoners for the information this Princess possesses,” she said. 

Horde Prime looked at her. “An interesting concept. You speak as if you’ve done this before,” he said.

“I have some experience with this,” she said trying to coax him to agree. “If you send 105 with me, **you** will still be the one in control. Think of it, he will be your puppet while you pull the strings. I understand you can control them to some extent,” she smirked, while knowing this was a dangerous gamble she was taking. “But we’ll need to take Hordak with us. I’m sure the Princess would be more willing to come if she knew he was alive and well.”

“Very well then, Sorceress. You will leave in two days time,” Horde Prime said. “I will send for a new dress to be brought for you.”

She was taken back. She chuckled and smiled at him. “That won’t be necessary,” she said. “I can take-”

“If you cannot do this, I will not grant you permission or a ship to go,” he said sternly.

She swallowed hard and sighed to herself. “Very well, Horde Prime. Who am I to deny your request?”

“I do not hope to find out, as your life may be on the line,” he said.

She inhaled a deep breath before taking one last drink of the dark liquid he served her. She swallowed hard and looked at him, forcing a smile.

“Is there a particular color you would like?” he asked.

“I look good in black,” she said, raising a white brow. 

“Yes. That you do,” he said, eyeing her differently than usual. 

So it worked... That was good. She yawned in hopes that she would be excused.

“You must be tired, Sorceress. Will you be able to make it back to your chambers?” he asked.

“Yes. I would hate to impose on you, Horde Prime,” she said. She could feel her heart fearfully beating against her chest. What was he up to? 

“You are not imposing, Sorceress. Should you change your mind, my offer stands.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I will save that for a later night,” she said.

Sevgi’s heart dropped hearing her agree to spend the night with Horde Prime. He knew she would not say it lightly. She was probably planning something but still…imagining her alone with him. His stomach turned at the idea of Horde Prime touching her.

“H-105, please take the Sorceress back to her chambers with the others,” he ordered.

Sevgi walked over to Zelia who instinctively held out her wrists for him to clasp them. He bowed his head to Horde Prime. “Yes, Horde Prime,” he said.

“Oh, there will be no need to clasp her shackles anymore, H-105.”

Zelia’s eyes widened as she looked at Horde Prime.

“Have a restful night. And take tomorrow off, Sorceress. You need to rest before your ‘good will mission’ to Etheria,” Horde Prime said as he waved them off.

“Thank you, Horde Prime,” she said with a smile as Sevgi motioned for her to walk. He opened the door for her and they began walking back to her chambers.

When they reached the end of the hall to the deserted hallway Sevgi gently grabbed Zelia by the arm.

“What do you mean by sending us to Etheria?” He looked at her and was shocked to see the overwhelming exhaustion in her eyes. “Beloved…”

“C-Can you carry me please?” she asked looking at him. “I’m sorry but I’m very tired.”

He picked her up in his arms. She put one arm around him and sighed. He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. He’d never seen her this exhausted before. “Rest,” he said as he began walking back to her chambers.

She rested her head against him and smiled. “I need to tell you what she really wants to do. But I can’t do it here,” she whispered. “So when we get to Etheria, just be patient with me,” she said sleepily.

“Understood, Beloved,” he smiled. “Now please rest. We’re almost to your room,” he said. 

One of the guards looked at Sevgi as he approached. He noticed the Sorceress being carried in his arms and opened the door. 

Sevgi looked at his brother and smiled. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome…” he replied as he closed the door behind him. 

Sevgi walked into the room with Zelia in his arms. She was sound asleep and he knew she’d offered her bed to the new arrivals. He looked at the cot next to his chair. He laid her down slowly and he laid her hands at her side. He gently removed her robe. He listened to her as she was breathing softly and fought the urge to sneak a kiss on her soft lips. He covered her with a blanket and stood up to watch the room.

**_“Did I tire you out that badly?” Celestia asked as she stroked Zelia’s cheek._ **

**_Zelia’s eyes opened and she was back in the empty abyss of Celestia’s making. “To be fair, I didn’t expect it to drain me as much as it did,” she said sitting up. She looked at her. “You can make contact without me touching your encasement?”_ **

**_Celestia giggled. “Well, it helped to get inside your mind first. But the closer I am the more it helps. Good work with your lies. The seduction was an interesting take.”_ **

**_“So you saw that?” she asked, slightly ashamed._ **

**_“I see more than you think,” Celestia smiled. “And don’t be ashamed. At the end of the day, he’s still a man. And we know men can be weak when it comes to sex,” Celestia said as her lips curled into a smirk._ **

**_Zelia sighed. “It’s just been a while since…”_ **

**_“Right. Well, I need your power.”_ **

**_Zelia looked at her confused. “My power?”_ **

**_Celestia nodded. The Etherians are trying to make contact by using a location spell._ **

**_“Well, what do I need to do?”_ **

**_Celestia smirked. “Just give them an answer.”_ **

**_Zelia nodded as she opened a small portal to the spell that was coming through. When she replied to the Etherians she groaned and held her head._ **

**_“You’re not as rusty as you think. You really need to give yourself more credit,” Celestia smiled at her._ **

**_Zelia smiled some. “Thank you, Celestia. I apologize for my candor but can I go to sleep now?”_ **

**_“Yes, but I will need you to come to me before you go. I have some things I want to tell you,” she smiled. “Ta-ta.”_ **

Zelia’s mind went blank before she was comforted by sleep.

Sevgi watched her stirr in her sleep. She turned to her right side and curled up. He waited for a moment before she relaxed and let out a sigh. “Rest easy, Beloved,” he whispered.

There was a knock on the door.

Sevgi opened the door to see a girl with white hair and golden eyes. She had skin that was as black as Zelia’s wardrobe.

“Horde Prime wants her to be kept here with the Sorceress,” said the clone, who looked somewhat uneasy.

“Log are you really leaving me here?” asked the girl.

“I have other duties I must attend to at the moment…” said the clone.

The girl looked up at Sevgi. She seemed calm but something told him that could change in an instant.

Sevgi looked at her. “I just ask if you can remain silent. The ladies in this room are asleep and they’ve had a very long day.”

The girl looked at him. “So I need to be quiet?”

Sevgi nodded. “At least until they wake up. Then you can be talkative,” he said kindly. He knew she must be terrified at being somewhere so alien and figured the least he could do was give her kindness. It’s what Zelia would do if she wasn’t asleep. 

“Okay. But you’ll come back for me right, Log?” she said looking at the other clone.

The clone seemed to blush and Sevgi tried really hard not to smile at how precious this was to see.

“Aru, I will return when I finish with my duties,” Log said. “Please just stay here with them for the time being.”

“Okay,” the girl said as she looked at Sevgi. “Can I come in?”

“Ah, yes. My apologies, this way My Lady,” Sevgi said, leading her into the room. He noticed Zelia had completely covered herself with the blanket.

“Unfortunately, all the beds are taken at the moment. I can get you a blanket and you can sleep on the chair. I do apologize for the inconvenience.”

“It’s okay,” Aru said as she took a seat on the chair and curled up.

Sevgi went to Zelia’s wardrobe and pulled a gray blanket out and walked back to Aru. “Here you are,” he said as he covered her.

“Thanks,” she said yawning before closing her eyes.

Sevgi returned to his post by the door. He wondered how many other clones on the Mothership had defected after seeing Log blush.


	7. The Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta gets lost in her memories while trying to rest. Shadow Weaver tries to use her magic to find Glimmer but things don't work out the way she wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued support. This chapter was a little too short for me so: DOUBLE POST! I hope you guys like it ♥

Entrapta and Bow were catching their breath. The testing of buttons proved to take a little more out of them as the ship reacted in many different ways. They looked at one another and laughed. 

“Well, was that all of them?” Bow asked.

“YES! We finally tested all the buttons and we should be good to test run the ship in a matter of days,” she answered.

“Does the ship have any weapons?” Bow asked.

“Not any that I could find, but we should probably ask Adora to come in and see what else this ship can do.”

Bow nodded and took a deep breath. “I really don’t know how I would’ve figured this out on my own,” he admitted.

“I’m sure you would’ve figured it out,” Entrapta smiled. 

“Yeah, but it would have taken me a lot longer if I didn’t have your help.”

Entrapta shook her head. “No you definitely would have figured it out. Just like you did with the kill switch for my other bots,” she said.

“How did you know about that?” Bow asked surprised.

“It was in Hordak’s notes,” she said. She felt her chest feel heavy and then looked at Emily. “I should see how Imp is doing,” she said. “Do you mind Bow?”

“No. I’ll go see if I can convince Adora to come here,” he said. “But maybe you should rest Entrapta. You have been working non stop since you got here.”

Entrapta hardly ever slept and she didn’t want to worry Bow. “Well, Imp is in Adora’s room and I don’t know if he’s woken up yet to move him,” she said. 

Bow offered to go with her but insisted she take a break. He was worried about her and Entrapta gave in and agreed she would rest reluctantly. They exited Mara’s ship and Emily followed Entrapta and Bow. They walked into the palace and heard some commotion in Adora’s room.

Entrapta’s eyes widened with worry for Imp as she bolted to the door.

“IMP!” she screamed.

Imp screeched happily and flew over to her. He had a little flower crown and cuddled Entrapta.

“Entrapta! Wonderful news! Imp is doing much better,” Perfuma said.

Imp cooed against Entrapta and she held him. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” she smiled. 

“He’s been playing with me and Frosta, I hope that’s okay,” Perfuma said shyly. 

“Of course it is. He wasn’t mean to you was he?” Entrapta asked looking at Imp.

“No! He was an angel,” Perfuma said sweetly.

“Once we got past the attempted biting,” Frosta chimed in.

“Yeah, he does that. But I’m glad he’s getting along with you,” Entrapta said as she hugged him. “Would it bother you all if I asked to take a nap?” she asked nervously.

“Not at all,” Perfuma smiled. “Let me just draw the curtains,” she said as she used her plant magic to get some of the vines on the outside of the castle to come in and unravel the higher tassels on the curtains to let them fall and darken the room. Frosta walked over to the door and waited for Perfuma. “If you need anything, let us know,” Perfuma smiled.

Entrapta walked over to Adora’s bed and sat down. She looked at Imp who was dozing off. 

“Aww, did they tire you out?” she asked as her prehensile hair lifted the covers on Adora’s bed and she laid down holding Imp who nodded against her.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep. She didn’t even realize how tired she was. She was always so busy working and moving around that it never occurred to her to take a rest for longer than a nap. Imp was snoring softly and she smiled, her arms holding him a little tighter.

She tried not to think of Hordak. Was he happy with Horde Prime? Was he keeping them from invading Etheria and Bright Moon? So many questions. 

She sighed and tried to think of something else. 

_“When your father and I first met it was...magical,” she recalled her mother saying._

_“Magical? But I thought magic was only for the elemental princesses,” Entrapta replied._

_Aidoca giggled. “Well, how do I explain this scientifically?” she said as she used her ponytail to bring up her tablet and pulled a pen from her pocket. She started drawing a picture._

_“Let’s look at it like this!” she said as she turned the tablet over to show Entrapta what she was doing. “We know when we have an idea of how a machine should work, right? Well, that’s kind of how these old balls worked. You brought in all different types of people or fragments of different parts that need to be put together to make a working machine. Some pieces fit with some components and others don’t; it’s like this with people too.”_

_“So you and dad just fit together?”_

_Aidoca nodded. “In a way. Not literally,” she smiled. “He’s taller than I am,” she said as she used her hair to extend to Achem’s height. “But what I liked about him was that he didn’t feel the need to stifle my curiosity. He encouraged it and often asked me more and more questions,” she said as she hugged Entrapta tightly with her arms._

_“So dad helped you with your experiments?” Entrapta asked._

_Aidoca nodded. “Yes he did. He even let me help him with some of his early bot trails!”_

_Entrapta was a little jealous cause she had yet to help him with his bots. “Do you think he’ll let me help him?”_

_“Of course he will! You are his daughter, I’m sure you’ll find a way to make them better,” she said kissing her forehead. “You’re much more creative than he is anyway.”_

_Entrapta giggled._

_Aidoca smiled and held her daughter tightly. “You know I didn’t think that I’d find someone that special for me. Intelligence sometimes wasn’t what most suitors were looking for when I was younger. But your father,” she smiled as she blushed. “He was special.”_

_Entrapta smiled at her mom. “Will I find someone like that?”_

_Aidoca nodded. “Yes. And he’s going to be so lucky to have you,” she said kissing her head. “Because the only thing he’ll have to worry about is you not having something to work on,” she giggled._

_Entrapta pouted. “There’s always going to be things to discover and learn,” she said._

_“Exactly! So make sure he’s someone who likes to experiment and make discoveries just like you,” Aidoca said. “That way you can both experiment together. It really is great to have someone by your side who encourages all your endeavors, Entrapta. I know you’ll find him someday. And when you do, he’s going to love you unconditionally,” she said, holding her tight._

_“And then we can see whose the better team,” Entrapta giggled.  
“Oh really now?” Aidoca laughed. “Well, when that day comes I’m sure your father and I might have our work cut out for us,” she smiled. “You are going to be so much more than us, Entrapta.” _

Entrapta smiled to herself. “I think you would like him, Mom and Dad,” she whispered. “Hordak...he’s really special to me. He understands so much that I don’t and he’s seen things I can only imagine. Maybe one day he’ll show me all those things. Then maybe we can see them together,” she said drifting off to sleep.

“We don’t have a few days Bow, we need to get to space NOW!” Adora exclaimed. “We need to save Glimmer or have you forgotten that she was taken?!”

“Entrapta still has to run some tests and we need you to see if there’s any weapons on the ship,” Bow said.

“Well let’s go check now! Wake up Entrapta and let’s get this done,” Adora replied impatiently.

“ADORA! I know you want to save Glimmer, but we don’t know how this ship works to get it to space without something bad happening. It won’t do Glimmer any good if we can rescue her. Besides, you don’t have the Sword of Power anymore, how are you planning on taking on Horde Prime?”

Adora said nothing. She knew Bow was right. But she also knew that time would not be on their side. “Bow, we can’t just do nothing. I don’t know how I’ll take on Horde Prime.”

“Entrapta said she might be able to look at the Sword of Power,” Bow replied. “You know we’re going to need it.”

Adora had picked up all the shards and buried them outside of the Beacon. She was about to reply to Bow when a knock on the door interrupted her. “Come in,” Adora said.

“Adora,” Shadow Weaver said she walked in. “I heard that Glimmer was captured by Horde Prime.”

“We’re working to get her back. We just don’t know if she’s safe,” Adora sighed.

“Maybe I can help. A spell should be able to locate her and let us know where she is,” Shadow Weaver expressed. “I know you are worried and this may at least help to ease your mind.”

Bow looked at Shadow Weaver. “Can your magic do that?”

“I should be able to,” she stated. “If we go to my greenhouse I can do the spell there,” she said as she turned to leave the room.

Bow and Adora followed Shadow Weaver to her greenhouse on the balcony of the palace.

When they arrived in the greenhouse, Shadow Weaver used a few orchid purple flowers with red spots and deep plum stems. She crushed them in her hands as their remnants fell in the water. She moved her hands and the water turned deep purple. She then took a handful of blue powder she kept in a vile and placed it in the water. She drew a location spell and the water showed Glimmer and Catra. It showed Hordak falling to the floor. Then they all saw a woman with white hair welcoming them to what she called “The Mothership.” The images faded and Shadow Weaver was surprised at how quickly they vanished.

“She is alive and with Catra,” Shadow Weaver said looking at Adora and Bow.

“Catra’s with them?!” Adora said worried.

Bow looked at her. “I didn’t see her when I got there,” he explained.

Adora was shaking.

 _“Etherians, do not fear for your friends. They are alive and well. We’re trying to bring them back to you. We’ll arrive the day after tomorrow and explain everything,”_ said a voice from the water.

All three looked at the water and said nothing.

Shadow Weaver was dumbfounded. Never in all her years had someone interfered with any of her spells.

“Shadow Weaver...what just happened?” Adora asked.

“It seems that Horde Prime has a powerful Sorceress on his ship. One powerful enough to interrupt my spell.”

Bow looked at her. “But the woman said that Glimmer and Catra are safe.”

“And how can we be sure?” Shadow Weaver said questioningly. “If she’s _his_ Sorceress, wouldn’t she want to interfere to give us a false message?”

“Maybe we should ask Micah to help,” Adora interjected.

Shadow Weaver looked at her. “He was the most gifted student I ever taught. His magic would help to get a clearer and more accurate view,” she said.

This worried her some. Whoever that was that came through her spell was much more powerful that she was. Maybe even more powerful than Micah. But if they combined their magic they might be able to push through to see if Glimmer and Catra were both truly safe. They sent for a guard to get Micah.

Adora still couldn’t wrap her head around why Catra was there to begin with. She knew Catra was Hordak’s second in command once Shadow Weaver came to Bright Moon. Adora was in shock that Catra had also been captured alongside Glimmer. She looked at Bow. Two of her closest friends had been captured.

“We need to hurry to save them both,” she said. 

Bow nodded. “And we will but first we need to make sure that what we saw wasn’t just an illusion,” he replied walking over to Adora and putting an arm around her.

When Micah walked in Shadow Weaver explained what happened and Micah was determined to retry the spell to see if his daughter was truly safe.

Shadow Weaver once again pulled the orchid purple flowers with red spots and deep plum stems. She handed them to Micah and instructed him on what to do. He crushed them in his hands and let the crushed remnants fall into the water of the fountain bowl. He waved his hands over the water and it turned deep purple. Shadow Weaver then placed a handful of blue powder in his hands and Micah carefully drew a location spell. He focused his magic and saw the image of Catra and Glimmer sleeping in the same bed.

 _ **“Ah-ah-ah. Are you trying to interfere after we just told you all was well? Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. I will say this once: DO NOT INTERFERE ETHERIANS OR YOUR FRIENDS WILL NOT MAKE IT BACK TO YOU!”**_

The voice was more menacing than the one before and even sent a magic shock through Micah and Shadow Weaver.

 _ **“You will do wise to heed this warning if you want to see your friends alive,”**_ hissed the voice as the fountain bowl broke, the water drying up before it splashed onto the floor and the flowers Shadow Weaver used withered to black ash on the bushes.

Micah looked at Shadow Weaver. “This was not any magic that interfered,” he said concerned.

Shadow Weaver exhaled nervously. “That was Ancient Magic…” she stated fearfully.

“What’s Ancient Magic?” Adora asked.

Shadow Weaver took a deep breath before answering. “Ancient Magic is magic older than Etheria. It is magic that was used to create the very planet we are on and many more. Ancient Magic is not only as old as its name suggests, it's incredibly powerful. Interfering with a spell is like blinking to an Ancient.”

“Glimmer and your friend may be in more danger than we realized,” Micah said.  
Adora and Bow couldn’t help but think back to that first message they heard. That someone will be arriving the day after tomorrow. Could they trust this or was it an invasion warning?

Shadow Weaver looked at Micah. “We’ll keep trying, Micah,” she said.

Adora looked at them. “That first message said they would be arriving the day after tomorrow. I think we should set up defenses around Bright Moon and alert the Princess Alliance so that we can be ready in the event of an attack.”

Micah nodded. “We can send a message via magic to them if they are coming that soon. Our magic should be able to get that accomplished, right Shadow Weaver?”

Shadow Weaver nodded. “We should be able to if we work together.”

Reluctantly, Micah told Shadow Weaver he may have some supplies for the spell hidden somewhere in the palace. She said she would wait for him here. She would not go where she was not wanted or welcomed by Micah. It was hard enough being here now that he had returned.

Adora and Bow excuses themselves and began walking to the War Room.

Bow looked at Adora. “Do you think that first voice was right?”

Adora looked at Bow. “Yes. I do think they’re safe...for now. But we still need to prepare. Who know what kind of visit they mean.”

“Should I wake Entrapta?” Bow asked. 

“No let her sleep,” Adora said. “Like you said, she probably needs it and I don’t want to bother her unless we absolutely need to.”


	8. Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another new arrival has been added to Horde Prime's ever growing collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these short chapters are annoying; trust me. But I have a lot of good stuff planned for later ♥

Zelia awoke to the sound of shushing and giggling. She groaned in her sleep and then her eyes shot open when she felt a tug on her hair.

“SHE HAS HAIR THE SAME COLOR AS MINE!” said the girl next to her. “HI HAIR TWIN!”

Zelia was in initial shock and sat up. She blinked a few times to ensure herself that she was really awake and not dreaming. “Hi,” she smiled nervously. “I’m Zelia. What’s your name?”

“MY NAME’S ARU!” the smiling girl with skin the color of the night sky and golden eyes said.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. “How did you get here?” she asked looking at Aru. Something about her that felt...strangely familiar. She gently pulled the girl named Aru into an embrace. Her mother had always said hugs were a good thing. And a calming one. 

Aru hugged her. “I was just floating in space and I saw this ship and climbed inside,” Aru said.

Zelia looked over at Sevgi who seemed to be trying to maintain his composure. 

Catra laughed. “You just climbed in?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t hard. And no one saw me.”

Zelia looked at the uniform Aru wore. Though it was a Horde uniform, it was reminiscent of the Eastern Jade Kingdom of Eden. The dress was an emerald green decorated with silver accents along the tips. The top was a sleeveless top that was open in her stomach area. The lower half of the dress came up to cover her belly button and while it had a skirt, she also had a high brief that was exposed to show off her legs. She had one shackle bracelet on.

“So you just climbed in?” Zelia asked her as she looked at her.

Aru nodded. “Yeah. I climbed in and was looking around. One of those guys found me and covered me with a big piece of fabric,” she said pointing to Sevgi.

Zelia looked at him. “You found her?”

“One of my brothers found her...naked,” he said. “He covered her and took her to Horde Prime.”

“Is that the creepy guy who has the long hair that looks like a mop?” Aru asked.

“That’s one way to describe him,” Catra said as she poured a cup of water and took a drink.

Glimmer looked at the girl. “What did he do to you?”

“Nothing,” Aru said. “He wondered how I got in here. When I told him I climbed in he had them put these on me but I got hungry and ate one,” she said lifting her arm and showing her one shackle.

All three women looked at her. Pure shock in their eyes.

Sevgi’s eye twitched. “You ate….the STEEL shackle?”

“I was hungry…” Aru said pouting her lip and nuzzling against Zelia.

Sevgi watched as Zelia’s expression softened and she gently held the girl against her. 

“It’s okay. But maybe something softer would be good instead of metal?” she asked as she looked at her. 

He recalled her telling him about something she called ‘maternal instincts.’ He’d seen her doing this with some of the other clones. It would be simple things like helping them pick up something that fell or sharing her rations with them when they came to her room to stand watch. She would speak in a softer tone and always in a kind manner. But this was different. There was a longing in her eyes and a much more gentle way to how she treated this girl with skin the color of the night sky.

“You have food?” Aru asked her golden eyes lighting up.

She nodded. “Yes. We do.”

Sevgi smiled as he watched Zelia stand up and put her robe on before she showed Aru where there was food. The young girl grabbed some bread and began eating. Zelia just smiled and looked at him.

“So, Horde Prime had them bring her here?”

“Yes, Sorceress. He said if anyone should watch over her it should be you.”

She walked over to him and sighed sadly. “One more captive in his ever growing collection,” she said.

“Well, if what you said is true, maybe they won’t be captives long,” he replied in a soft whisper.

She looked at him. “Yes. I have to go to the chamber today,” she said.

“Whenever you wish to go,” he said.

She smiled at him and nodded before she walked over to Aru who was biting into a fruit.

“Should we ask for more food?” Zelia asked, looking at Catra and Glimmer.

“If that’s not too much to ask,” Glimmer said looking at Sevgi.

“Is there anything you would like, Your Highness?” he asked.

“What you brought yesterday was fine,” Glimmer replied. 

“I’ll go get that for you then,” Sevgi said as he walked out of the room.

“So do you like him?” Aru asked Zelia.

Zelia looked at her. She’d never been asked so openly. It was clear that Aru was not one to shy away from questions. “Well, he’s always been kind to me, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t like him,” she smiled. “I’m much more interested in how you survived out in space.”

“Yeah, how does that work? Where are you from?” Catra asked.

Aru looked at Catra and then at Zelia. “I don’t...really remember where I’m from. I’ve kinda been alone for a really long time.”

Catra’s eyes saddened a bit but she turned the topic. “So why did Horde Prime shackle you in the first place?”

“I was touching stuff that he has in his room. He has so many cool things. I’ve never seen anything like all of it. There was this pretty shiny door and when I looked at it he got mad. He had them bring me here before my curiosity got the better of me,” she giggled. 

“You’d think someone who cloned himself countless times he’d be fine with sharing,” Catra said.

Zelia burst out laughing. “I never thought about it that way,” she said. She stopped laughing and stood up. “Well, I should probably change,” she said waving her hand over her robe. Her magic wrapped around her clothing, changing into her black two piece outfit. The black turtleneck long sleeve crop with high waist black pants. Her gray knee high boots complimented the silver shackles on her wrists. She twirled once as she ran her hand through her long white hair. “Much better.” 

Catra looked at Zelia. “You have magic?”

“I did tell you I was a Sorceress,” she said confused. It was one of the first things she’d told them when they met. 

“Well yeah, but I’ve never seen anyone on Etheria do that,” Catra said.

Glimmer looked at her. “You made your clothes change. What else can you do?”

Zelia looked at them. “Well, this is simple compared to what most of my magic can do. I trained in defense magic. So I can make shields and barriers. I can make explosions and on a few occasions I’ve been able to stop time on the battlefield.”

Glimmer’s facial expression changed and Zelia walked over to her.

“Don’t be discouraged. I had a lot of training when I was young, but I learned most of it on my own. And let me tell you, it was the hardest way to learn.”

“I can’t even do any of that!” Glimmer said angrily.

“Well, magic manifests differently for everyone. At least on my planet it did. I did say I could help you if you wanted,” she smiled.

“Without the Moonstone I’ll never be able to use my magic,” Glimmer said frustrated.

“What’s a Moonstone?” Zelia asked.

“On Etheria, all the Elemental Princesses have Rune stones that give us power.”

Zelia was familiar with this. “So, it’s kind of like your source?”

Glimmer gave her a nod.

“You might be away from it, but you can still try.”

“She’ll run out of magic if she does that,” Catra said. “Sparkles has to recharge or she’ll be powerless.”

Zelia looked over at Catra and then back at Glimmer. “Is that true?”

Glimmer nodded. She looked ashamed.

Zelia hugged her. “It’s okay. All magic manifests differently, but it all has one thing in common: it has to come from within to be effective.”

“How do I do that?” Glimmer asked.

“It might take me a bit, but if you can be patient, I can help you learn.”

Glimmer smiled and nodded at her. “Yes, please teach me!”

Aru walked over to Zelia. “I want to learn too!”

Zelia smiled. “Well, I have nothing but time today,” she said. 

Sevgi walked in, followed by two other clones. “Apologies for the intrusion, but we have brought your meal.”

“Thank you so much!” Zelia smiled as she motioned them to her small table. 

Sevgi and the others placed the trays down. The other two left and Sevgi took his post by the door.

The girls all went in for food first and Zelia settled with a cup of tea and a piece of bread. Sevgi knew this was how she was. She always let others eat first. She watched as Catra teased Aru with some of the food. Glimmer tried not to smile at the interaction but failed when Aru pulled on Catra’s tail and took the food she was teasing her with for herself.

“Hey no fighting,” Zelia cautioned playfully.

Aru grabbed some food and walked over to Zelia. “You should eat this!”

Zelia smiled. “Well thank you Aru, but I want to make sure you eat till you’re full,” she said.

“No she’s right, you didn’t eat much yesterday,” Glimmer said concerned.

“Yeah, do you not eat?” Catra asked.

Zelia smiled nervously. “No it’s just I want to make sure you eat first. It’s just how I was brought up,” she said. “Especially when I was in combat. I always ensured my warriors ate before I did.”

Catra’s eyes widened some. “Why?”

“Because they are the first line of defense. If they aren’t strong enough to break the enemy’s defense down, what good are they? Strategy matters when it means life or death,” she said, sipping her tea. “My goal was to ensure we could all make it back safely.”

“And did you meet that goal?”

Zelia’s eyes saddened some as she looked at Catra. “Well, not always. There’s always casualties. As with any battle,” she sighed.

“So how do you expect us to all make it out of here?” Catra asked in a whisper as she sat next to her.

Zelia looked at her. “I’m working on it,” she said.


	9. Planning for Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora and Bow are thinking about what can be done about the messages they received.  
> Entrapta gets a visitor in her dreams who gives her some guidance and hope.

Adora was in the War Council room talking with Bow about Mara’s ship. With the help of Emily he was able to show her a detailed diagram of what all the controls on Mara’s ship did. She applauded Bow on the extensive detail he and Entrapta put in making the diagram of the ship's controls.

“This amazing Bow,” Adora smiled.

“It was all Entrapta and Emily,” Bow said as he gently pet Emily. The robot let out a few affectionate beeps. 

“So, have we figured out if we’re able to get up into space?” Adora asked.

“Entrapta’s still not sure. She said we need to run numbers and maybe do some experiments before we can get it flying,” Bow said. He could see the frustration Adora had. “Hey it’s only been a day,” he said, trying to be positive.

“Bow, we don’t know if Glimmer and Catra are okay. I know Shadow Weaver and Micah showed us something but we don’t know if that was real or not. What if something happened to them? And what about that message? Do you think we can trust that voice completely?” Adora said, her emotions giving away that she was fearful for their friends. Even though she said she trusted the voice that told them Glimmer and Catra were fine, she was still worried.

Bow looked at her. “I know you're worried but the Horde hasn’t attacked. Maybe Hordak is keeping them from attacking us,” he said. 

Adora looked at him. “What makes you say that?”

“Think about it, Hordak was waiting to conquer Etheria after the portal incident. He was waiting for Horde Prime to come here to completely take over the planet. Well, Horde Prime is here and he hasn’t come to attack us,” Bow said.

Adora sighed. “Do you think he’ll hurt Glimmer and Catra?”

Bow didn’t tell her that Hordak was about to attack Glimmer before they were taken. “I don’t think so,” he said.

Adora sighed. “How is Entrapta doing?” she asked.

“She’s all right,” Bow said. “I told her to get some rest. She must be tired from working nonstop.”

“Is she alright? You know about coming back? About...everything?” Adora asked.

“I think she will be after a good night’s rest,” Bow smiled. “Oh but she did want me to ask you if you could come on Mara’s ship to see if there are any weapons.”

Adora genuinely didn’t know. “Let’s go see,” she said. They walked to Mara’s ship. The sleek ship’s doors opened and Bow and Adora walked in. With Emily by his side, Bow showed Adora the diagram of all the buttons he and Entrapta tested.

“Since the ship responds to your voice commands, do you think you can see if there’s any weapons on it?”  
“I can try,” Adora said. She touched one of the panels on the chair in the center of the ship.

“Administrator detected. What is your query?” asked a robotic voice.

“Tell me the weapons capability of this ship,” Adora said. She had learned from Light Hope that she must not ask but rather command when it came to dealing with the First One’s technology that responded to her.

“Acknowledged. Weapons capability: None.”

Adora and Bow looked at one another. So this ship possessed no weapons whatsoever.

“Why is that? Why does this ship have no weapons?” Adora asked. 

“This ship was intended for the sole purpose of space transport from Home Planet to Etheria.”

When Adora heard the words: HOME PLANET, her heart sank. Home? Was that all that she needed to get there? She thought back to the portal and realized that it may be in vain to ask. She said nothing.

“Acknowledged,” she replied. “Thank you.”

Entrapta lay in bed, sleeping peacefully. Imp was curled up next to her. Her mind was still buzzing with numbers, formulas and countless calculations. Then, darkness and calm took hold.

**_“Ah, there you are Princess Entrapta.”_ **

**_She was in a black abyss. And someone was calling her. She saw a silver mermaid-like being moving towards her._ **

**_“Princess Entrapta,” she said. Her gray eyes widened some as she smiled at her. “My, you are even lovelier than he remembers,” said the mermaid._ **

**_“Who are you?” she asked._ **

**_“I am a friend. Do not fear me, Entrapta. I cannot tell you my name, for you will not remember this,” the mermaid said, touching her cheek. “I simply came to tell you that Hordak is alive and well.”_ **

**_Her eyes widened and she felt her heart begin to race. She took a moment to collect herself before she spoke. “Hordak is alive?”_ **

**_The mermaid nodded. “Yes. He is. And he hasn’t forgotten you. You can thank Zelia for that.”_ **

**_“Who’s Zelia?” she asked._ **

**_“She’s someone you can trust. She is a powerful ally who will be bringing your precious Hordak to you the day after tomorrow.”_ **

**_“Why would she do that?”_ **

**_“Because she needs your help to save Hordak. Among other things,” the silver mermaid answered._ **

**_Entrapta looked at her. He was alive. Hordak was alive._ **

**_The silver mermaid smiled warmly at her. “I know you won’t remember all of this but please don’t let your friends turn her away. She’s taking a big risk coming here to get you but she will ensure you return unharmed, along with Hordak and your friends.”_ **

**_Entrapta looked at the mermaid. She didn’t know what to say. She simply nodded. “Okay.”_ **

**_“I thank you. They need you to rescue your friends and save the universe. If anyone can do it, it’s you and your friends,” she said before vanishing._ **

Entrapta’s eyes fluttered open. She took a deep breath and looked at Imp. She rubbed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what to make of the dream she’d just seen. She’d read somewhere that dreams often fade within seconds of waking up. What was her dream about? She held her head and sighed. She gently got up and looked outside to see the fleet of Horde Prime’s ships. She was fascinated by their sleek design and how slowly they traveled across the sky. Her mind began to wonder what she would need to do with Mara’s ship to get them to space. The ship had already been to Beast Island and back. She gently awoke Imp.

“Hey, let’s go see if we can figure out what to do about Mara’s ship,” she said as he stretched his arms and extended his wings.

She walked out of the room and asked one of the guards if they knew where Bow and Adora were. She was told they went to Mara’s ship. She thanked them and headed outside to see the ship.

“Bow! Adora! Are you in there?” she asked as she knocked on the ship door.

Adora heard Entrapta and opened the door for her.

Bow walked over to the entrance to greet Entrapta. “Hey, you’re awake!”

“Very awake,” she said. “Thank you for letting me rest,” she smiled. “What are you two doing here?” she asked looking at them. Imp nuzzled against her cheek. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Imp. I didn’t want to leave him alone,” she said nervously.

“That’s okay. Hi Imp,” Adora smiled. “We just came to see if the ship has any weapons,” Adora said.

“Does it?” Entrapta asked excitedly. Imp flew over to Bow and perched on his shoulder. Bow smiled nervously. “Don’t worry Bow, he doesn’t bite!”

“Well that’s good that he doesn’t bite,” Bow said. “No, there’s weapons on this ship. Apparently this was just used for exploration so it wasn’t equipped with any,” Bow replied.

“It seems that it was just for that reason. To travel from the home planet to here for exploration,” Adora said. 

“Hmm...that could be due to the fact that they wanted to seem peaceful when coming to a new planet,” Entrapta said as she looked at them. “That’s okay. We can figure something out. We always do,” she smiled confidently. 

“Do you think we can make it up to space, Entrapta?” Adora asked, her eyes longing to hear the word yes.

“I still need to run some numbers,” Entrapta replied. “Once we determine how the ship will survive when we breach the stratosphere, I’m sure I’ll be able to get us there in one piece,” she said.

Adora looked at Entrapta nervously. “Well, we got a message from….up there,” she said pointing up.

Entrapta looked at her confused. “From the ceiling?”

“No, from the ship where Glimmer and Catra are being held.”

“Catra?” Entrapta asked, her eyes widening. Her heart began racing rethinking about the repetitions Imp did for her. Catra was the one who used a stun gun on her after she refused to open the portal.She was sent to Beast Island and no one ever bothered to see where she was. She was fine when Adora and Bow had come for her, but not when she first arrived. She shuddered when she thought about how scared she was when she woke up somewhere completely foreign with nothing except the clothes on her back and her recorder. She shuddered when she thought about how Catra tried to make her out to be the one who betrayed Hordak. She swallowed a lump in her throat. Normally she would put her mask down to cover her face but she just looked at Adora. “Catra? She’s with Glimmer...and Hordak?”

“We just found out when Shadow Weaver tried to use a location spell,” Bow said.

“You saw them? Did you see Hordak?” she asked.

“No. We only saw Glimmer, Catra and some woman with white hair,” Bow commented. “We didn’t see Hordak,” he said gently so as to not worry her.

“We’re not sure that’s a real image we got. Shadow Weaver thinks a Sorceress on the ship interfered with the message,” Adora said.

“Why would she think that?” Entrapta asked.

“There was a message that came through. It said that our friends are fine and will be coming the day after tomorrow,” Bow said.

Why did that sound familiar to Entrapta? The day after tomorrow...

“Do you think they’re coming to hurt us?” Entrapta asked.

Bow and Adora looked at each other.

“We...don’t know,” Bow said nervously.

Entrapta looked at Adora. “I know you’ve probably been asked this but do you have the Sword of Protection?” 

Adora looked at her. “Yes. I collected the fragments of it when I destroyed it…” she said, almost ashamed.

Entrapta touched Adora’s arm and looked at her. “I know it must have been hard. I probably scared you on Beast Island when I told you about the Heart of Etheria project. How the sword was used to control She-Ra for the First Ones.”

Adora looked at her nervously.

When Adora said nothing, Entrapta hugged her. It felt like the right thing to do. She felt Adora’s arms around her.

“Entrapta, I’m sorry. I just...don’t want to be a weapon,” Adora said, tears forming in her eyes. “There has to be some other way we can help them...”

“You said that they’ll be coming the day after tomorrow, right?”

Adora nodded.

Entrapta let her go and looked at her. “We should think about what we can do to welcome them,” she replied bluntly. 

Bow and Adora looked at her.

“Welcome them?” Bow asked.

Entrapta nodded. “If we set up defenses, they might think we’re retaliating. We don’t know how many are coming but think about it, they have numbers that we don’t. We shouldn’t be so quick to call them enemies. They could have attacked us already but they haven’t,” she said looking away from them.

“Should we cancel the messages we sent off to the Princess Alliance?” Adora asked looking at Bow. 

“We don’t know if they sent those messages off just yet, but we can check with King Micah and Shadow Weaver,” Bow replied. 

Entrapta looked at them. “The Princess Alliance? That’s still intact?” she asked.

Adora nodded. “Yes, and we’d love to have you back,” she said.

Entrapta smiled. “I’d be honored to rejoin you.”

Bow and Adora hugged her and for the first time since she’d come back to Bright Moon she felt at home.

“And don’t cancel that message,” Entrapta said, her mind thinking. “Just tell them we’re throwing a ball.”

“A ball?” Adora and Bow asked.

Entrapta nodded. “Yes. A welcome ball for the unknown guests. To show them that we’re friendly and mean no harm.”

“That might not be a bad idea,” Adora said. 

“We can say it’s to welcome King Micah back!” Bow added.

“Let’s do it,” Adora said.

Entrapta smiled, happy that her idea was a good one.


	10. Learning to Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelia leaves Catra in charge of teaching the girls how to fight while she heads off with Sevgi to do some work.
> 
> A/N: I really really want to apologize for not posting on Monday like I usually do. I've been busy writing on top of learning a new programming language. But never fear!! I wrote quite a bit and thought I would spoil you with giving you 3 new chapters that are pretty lengthy! So enjoy ♥

Aru had been busy talking with Glimmer while Catra talked with Zelia.

“We should try getting that sparring match in today,” Catra said. 

Zelia looked at her. “We don’t have anything to train with,” she said, trying to think what they would be able to do in the room.

Catra looked at the table. “We can break the legs off,” she smirked.

Zelia rose a brow. She knew that Catra had a point with her idea. “I’m not sure we can explain that.” She knew Horde Prime hadn't come in her room since she first arrived, but she still didn’t know if breaking a table would be the best thing to do. 

“What are you afraid of?” Catra asked.

Zelia narrowed her eyes slightly. “Catra, we need to be cautious in how we approach this. I did tell you that we’re being constantly watched,” she said looking at Sevgi.

“I’m sure if you ask nicely, he’ll let us,” Catra said.

Zelia bit her makeshift sandwich and sighed. Catra had a point. If she asked Sevgi, no doubt he would cover for them. Still, she had to calculate the risk. “Not today. If we do it today, it will be hand to hand training,” she said.

Catra smirked. “Oh? Why is that?”

“It’s important to know how to fight without weapons,” Zelia said confidently. “A weapon is a tool that can be knocked out of your hand if you don’t hold onto it. So, what better weapon to use than your own hands?” 

“Fair enough,” Catra purred.

“If you can promise to keep it to just hand to hand, you can do it while I check on something,” Zelia said as she looked at Catra then at Sevgi. 

“You want me to spar with Sparkles and Aru?”

Zelia turned her attention back to Catra. “I know you’re a strong fighter. You should have no problem sparring with them. Just don’t break my furniture,” she said playfully.

Catra smirked. “Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m serious. I don’t want Horde Prime catching on to what we’re doing. It’s much more about your safety than anything else,” Zelia said, touching Catra’s shoulder gently. 

Catra nodded. “O-okay. I’m sorry I-”

“Don’t apologize, Catra. I admire your drive and passion, but we still need to be careful. I want to get you girls back to your home. I promise I’m doing what I can to make that happen. I’m going to leave for a bit, okay? Don’t get carried away,” she smiled as she walked over to Sevgi.

She needed to talk to him about last night. What was Horde Prime up to? She was thankful that Horde Prime couldn’t read her mind. The spell her Grandmother placed on her after she was attacked as a child seemed to still be intact. No one could enter her mind nonetheless read it without her granting them access. She wondered if there was a way to make an open path for her and Sevgi. She’d been able to block Horde Prime from seeing the forbidden things they’d done, this shouldn’t be too difficult if she could get Celestia’s help. 

“105,” she said. “I would like to go to my work space,” she said.

“As you wish, Sorceress,” he said.

“Where are you going?” Aru asked as she looked at Zelia.

Zelia turned to her. “I will be back shortly. I just need to get something from my work space,” she smiled. “Please,” she said, using her magic discreetly as she touched her head releasing a harmless spell of compulsion. Nothing that would hurt her, just make it so that she would do this one little thing. “Wait for me here, please.”

Aru nodded. “Okay. Hurry back please,” she said.

Zelia smiled warmly. “Of course. I’ll be back shortly,” she said. She turned back to Sevgi. “Shall we?” she asked.

He said nothing as he walked to the door. 

Zelia walked over to him and he opened the door for her. Zelia was surprised to see that there was a new clone waiting outside. He seemed to be nervous which was odd to Zelia because most of the clones seemed to be very stoic.

“LOG IS THAT YOU!?” Aru exclaimed happily as she ran to him and tackled him to the floor.

“Log?” Zelia asked. 

“That’s what I call him. It’s better than that number the creepy Mophead gave him,” Aru said.

Zelia tried to keep her laughter in and cleared her throat, “That’s fair. But please be gentle with him. I’m sure he’s not used to the affection.”

“This is affection?” asked the one Aru called Log.

Zelia nodded. “Yes. You have much to learn,” she whispered. She smiled seeing Aru so affectionate to Log. She admired her bravery to be so close to him. She could see there was another clone she would need to protect. 

Catra gasped. “HOW COME SHE GETS A CLONE!?”

Aru hugged Log. “Because I’m special!” she said, smiling wide. 

Zelia actually wondered that too but she would have to find out at a later time. For now, she was happy to see Aru smiling and happy. Something about her was so familiar but she didn’t know what it was exactly.

Log blushed as he looked at Sevgi and mouthed ‘Help me.’

Zelia sighed happily and kneeled down next to Aru. “Aru, can you let him go so he can take the post, please?” she asked sweetly. 

Aru let Log go and he stood up, adjusting his clothing and looked at her. “Aru, personal space please,” he said.

“But you're my person,” she said, her eyes looking at him longingly.

Log blushed and went to stand by the door.

Catra grabbed Aru by the arm and started to argue with her. Glimmer laughed and Zelia and Sevgi walked out.

When the door closed, Aru stuck her tongue out at Catra. 

“You shouldn’t be mean to me,” Aru teased. “After all, I’m not your enemy.”

“No. You’re just a pipsqueak who likes to tug on tails,” Catra said. “Relax, I’m not the hateful type.”

Glimmer looked at her with a scowl on her face. “Oh please, don’t lie to her when you know you are.”

“You got something to say Sparkles?”

“Wow Zelia was right you two fight a lot,” Aru said. “Why do you fight a lot?”

The question had never really been asked and the two girls had realized they didn’t really know how to answer her.

Catra looked at Glimmer and then looked at Aru. “She...she stole my best friend.”

Glimmer’s eyes widened. She’d never thought she’d taken Adora from Catra. She always thought that Adora had chosen them. But she’d never thought what that had looked or felt like for Catra. She knew that Catra and Adora had grown up together and shared a rich and vibrant history that she could never understand.

“I-I’m sorry…” Glimmer said, feeling guilty.

Catra sighed. “Whatever. Anyway, Aru, do you want to play a game?”

“A GAME? What kind of game?” Aru asked mischievously.

“It’s called Spar. It’s a fighting game. But your clone can’t tell Horde Prime.”

Aru scowled and crossed her arms. “As if Log would ever tell him anything,” she said.

Log overheard them and opened the door. “I’ll wait outside for you to get dressed,” he said stepping out of the room.

Catra smirked. “Well, now that he’s out of the way-”

She was cut off by Aru punching her in the face. Catra was thrown off guard and looked at the girl. “You know, I almost thought you were going to be easy,” she said, extending her claws.

Glimmer gasped as Catra lunged toward Aru, but the Aru was able to dodge Catra.

“HEY!” Glimmer yelled, getting them to stop. “Maybe we should start with basics,” Glimmer said.

Aru and Catra looked at her.

“Oh right, you’re not used to this,” Catra said. “Well, I guess the basics would be knowing which is your strong hand and which is your soft hand.”

Catra asked Aru which hand was her dominant hand. Aru looked at her right hand and held it out. 

“Okay, right handed. So if you can come here,” Catra said pointing next to her. “We can show Glimmer the basics before actually starting to spar.”

Aru stepped over and let Catra show Glimmer the basics of how to fight. 

“You want to focus on the vulnerable areas which are the eyes, nose, throat, and groin.”

Aru pointed at all the areas for Glimmer. 

Catra smiled. “Thanks Aru. The reason you want to aim your hits at any of these areas is to have not only maximum impact but to deliver a good blow. For you, Sparkles, I would avoid aiming for the knees.”

“Why would you say that?” Glimmer asked.

“Well aiming there requires a specific kick that can be too risky for the average person,” Catra said. “Maybe that area is somewhere you can hit with your staff.”

“Which is back on Etheria,” Glimmer said.

Aru walked over to Zelia’s desk and broke off one of the legs. “Here! We can use this,” she smiled.

“ARU!” Glimmer and Catra both said.

“What?” she asked, confused as she looked at them.

“Zelia specifically said not to destroy her furniture,” Catra groaned.

Aru looked at the desk and at the leg she held in her hand. She broke two more. “There now we can all have one,” she smiled.

Glimmer looked at Catra. “You’re explaining this to her when she gets back.”

Catra sighed and walked over to Aru. “Hey, I know you're trying to help but Zelia said we need to learn HAND TO HAND methods today. Maybe when they leave we can try using these. Sound fair?” she said, trying to be gentle with the smaller girl.

“Sorry,” Aru said. “Do you think she’ll be mad?”

Catra shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Glimmer smiled at her. “If anything, we can just explain we got carried away,” she said reassuringly.

Aru smiled. “Sorry for interrupting you, Catra. What were you going to say next?”

Catra asked Aru if she could use her to show Glimmer what certain attacks looked like. Aru nodded and Catra looked at Glimmer.

“So when faced with an enemy, you want to make sure that you use all of your force and aggression during execution. This will be useful for you when you run out of magic because then your enemy will think they have the upper hand over you.”

Glimmer looked at Catra. She didn’t want to admit that Adora was right about Catra being a good person when she wanted to be. They were the farthest thing from friends, but here she was teaching her how to defend herself and stepping in to keep Horde Prime from doing whatever he was going to do to her. She felt guilty for thinking Catra was going to be the same person she was back on Etheria here on the Mothership. “Thanks, Catra,” Glimmer said. “I hope I can do all those things you say.”

“Well, I think once Aru and I show you, you’ll get the hang of it. And then we can move to practical practice since her clone stepped out. So the first thing is a Hammer strike! You’re going to make your hand a hard first and then thrust downward toward your target with as much of your strength as you can. Aru, can you show her what this would look like on me.”

“Are you sure?” Aru asked, blinking her golden eyes.

“Yeah just don’t hit me super hard. We’re just showing her what the move looks like first,” she said. Aru was definitely strong and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of a stronger punch than the one she’d gotten earlier. 

Aru executed the move and looked at Glimmer. 

Catra smiled and was somewhat relieved it was just the motion. “Okay Sparkles, the next one is a groin kick. This is done when someone is coming at you from the front. Especially if it’s a guy. Since most of Hordak’s soldiers wore armor while on assignment this may have not worked. However, looking at the clones Horde Prime has, they don’t seem to be wearing anything protective on them,” she said. 

“When you go for a groin kick, you want to kick as hard as you can because that may paralyze your attacker, making your escape possible. For this, you want to make sure that you’re as stable as you can be. Lift your dominant leg off the ground and begin to drive your knee upward,” she said as she mimicked the motion. “Then, you’ll extend your dominant leg and kick forcefully. If your enemy is too close, thrust your knee toward the groin. Make sure you’re stabilized or you’ll risk falling over.”

“Do you think falling over is something I’m going to do?” Glimmer asked, annoyed.

“Glimmer,” Catra began. “I’m telling you all this because it’s important to know. Zelia was right, you haven’t really been raised in war. Since Adora and I were old enough to walk, Hordak put us all in defense training. I’m telling you this because I’ve seen it happen.”

“Did this happen to Adora?” Glimmer asked.

Catra smiled some. “Yeah. She wasn’t always the tough warrior she is now. When she first started she was pretty weak. I always helped her train. Lot of good that did me huh?” Catra said somewhat defeated.

Glimmer looked at her and could tell that Catra was still sensitive about Adora. “You know, I think Zelia will be really happy to know what a great teacher you are,” she smiled. “Is there more?”

Catra nodded. “Yeah. There’s a few more strikes that will be beneficial for you to know. If you can learn these. I’m sure Zelia might know most of these if she was on the front lines like she said. Anyway, the next one is a heel palm strike. You want to use your dominant hand. With this you’ll be able to cause some serious damage to the nose or throat. But this is a close range move, so don’t think it’ll be easy to do if you’re not ready, okay? ”

Glimmer nodded.

“For this to work, you’ll want to aim for your enemy’s nose and jabbing upward from the nostrils. If that’s not your style, you can go for your enemy’s chin and jab upward at the throat. You’ll want to make sure to recoil your strike. Aru,” Catra said looking at her.

Aru made the motions of what Catra explained.

“Good job Aru. Okay, now the next thing is to pull your arm back quickly! This will help thrust the attacker’s head up and back. You can also use an open palm to the ears which can be very disorienting.”

Glimmer had never received any formal fighting training. Despite their past, she was impressed with how thorough Catra was with explaining and showing her how these moves were executed. 

“All right Sparkles. This next move is my favorite. It’s called an elbow strike. This is another close range move. For this you want to stabilize yourself with a strong core and legs to ensure a powerful blow.”

Aru stood close to Catra. Awaiting her explanation to show Glimmer just how this move was to be executed. 

“You’re going to bend your arm at the elbow then shift your weight forward. After that, you’ll strike your elbow into your enemy’s neck, jaw, or temple. All of these are effective targets.”

Aru looked at Catra. “So are we going to fight now so Glimmer can see how these moves all work?”

Catra looked at Aru. “Are you sure you want to do that?” she asked, her tail twitching.

Aru smiled. “Are you afraid to fight me?” she asked.

Catra chuckled. “Oh, it’s on.”

Aru lunged at her.

Catra prepared herself to make it look like she was going to block her but went to the floor and grabbed her ankle and threw the girl against Zelia’s table.

“Fuck…” Catra said.

Aru got up and smirked. “Okay, so you want to get rough?” she grabbed a leg from the table and threw it at her.

Glimmer grabbed a glass of water and watched them.

Catra grabbed it and used it to block Aru who ran at her.

“You don’t want me to get rough with you, Pipsqueak,” Catra said as she used her tail to wrap around Aru’s thigh. The second she saw Aru was off guard, she used the leg of the table to push Aru down and pin her.

Aru groaned as she hit the ground and kneed Catra in the stomach. 

Catra groaned and let her go. “Not bad, Pipsqueak. You're a pretty decent opponent in combat.”

“Thanks,” Aru smiled. “Let’s save this for another time.”

“Fair enough,” Catra said.

“Do you mind if I let Log back in?”

“Log?” Catra asked.

“I think that’s her clone,” Glimmer said.

“Yeah. I call him Log. I don’t like the number Mophead gave him.” 

Catra and Glimmer laughed as Aru walked to the door.

“Log, we’re done,” she smiled.

“Aru, please call me H-706,” he said shyly.

“But that’s so boring,” she groaned.

He blushed as he looked at her. “If Horde Prime hears you call me that, he might get suspicious about you.”

“More than he already is?” Aru asked.

Log nodded. “He’s been asking some of his scientists to look into how you survived out there. I don’t want him to hurt you, so please...”

Aru’s eyes saddened. “I-I’m sorry…”

Log gently touched her hand. “I’m doing what I can. Just please...don’t be so reckless.”

Aru nodded. “I’ll try..”

“Hey Catra, I have a question,” Glimmer started. “How come you were never made an instructor in the Horde?” Glimmer asked.

Catra looked at her. Her ears came down and she walked over to the bed before sitting down. “Well, I guess because I never thought I was good enough,” she said. “Adora was Shadow Weaver’s favorite. She was the one who was going to become the Force Captain. I wasn’t going to be anything more than a Senior Cadet,” she sighed.

Glimmer had also known what that felt like. Even when her mother made her a Commander, she wasn’t sure she would ever amount to anything. She sat next to Catra. “So you just didn’t try to find something else?” she asked.

Catra nodded. “I know it sounds stupid but Adora and I made a promise that we’d never let anything bad happen to one another. I didn’t want to be anything else because then I wouldn’t be able to be by her side and keep my promise,” she said, defeated and feeling more vulnerable than she would like.

Glimmer felt so guilty. She’d never realized how close Adora and Catra really were. “I’m sorry,” Glimmer said.

“It’s not your fault,” Catra said. “Maybe if I actually made something of myself I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

“I’m glad you’re here though,” Glimmer said. “I don’t think I’d be alive if it wasn’t for you.”


	11. The Dress Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime asks Zelia for a favor.
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Çevirmək - Transform
> 
> Danışmaq istədiyini dedin - You said you wanted to talk
> 
> Ağılda qurulan əlaqələrini bağlayın, yalnız bağlantımız yaxşıdır - Forge their connection, set in the mind, only our connection is fine

Zelia and Sevgi headed down the hall to the celestial being’s room. She could only hope Celestia would not mind extending her protection to the new arrivals.

“Are you all right?” Sevgi asked.

Zelia looked at him and then at her hands. Though she still wore her shackles, it was the first time in years she was not bound while walking around. “I’m just...surprised I’m not bound and walking around,” she said. “What made him change his mind?” 

“I do not know how Horde Prime’s mind works.”

She smiled. “Well that’s good.” She couldn’t imagine looking into his mind. She could only imagine how twisted it was. “He definitely made me feel uncomfortable,” she said.

“I thought as much. I apologize for not saying anything.”

She knew he cared. She also knew that if he could he would have grabbed her and taken her out of the room. However, Horde Prime could not know that Sevgi had also defected. “I know. I’m just glad you were there to carry me back,” she said.

“We are approaching,” he said.

She put on her stoic expression as she walked into the chamber. The room glowed from the light illuminating the glass encasement Celestia was in. She walked over to the glass and looked at Celestia. She took a deep breath before placing her hands on the glass. 

**_”Well...hello to you too,” Celestia smiled as she pulled Zelia into the Abyss. “I wasn’t expecting you so early,” she said as she stretched herself and floated over to Zelia._ **

**_“There’s been some changes,” she began._ **

**_“More new arrivals? Let me guess, you want protection for them too?” she sighed._ **

**_Zelia nodded as she swallowed a lump in her throat._ **

**_“My dear, with all the power I have granted you, can you NOT make a protection spell?” Celestia asked slightly annoyed._ **

**_“Maybe if I could get rid of these shackles I could do it!” Zelia said angrily._ **

**_Celestia laughed. “Does your lover no longer wish to help you?”_ **

**_“I told you-” she began to say, her tone bordering on anger._ **

**_“Do not take a tone with me,” Celestia said, lunging at her, fangs exposing as she was inches from Zelia’s face._ **

**_Zelia was taken back. She kneeled down. “My apologies,” she said._ **

**_Celestia sighed. “Zelia...are you not using the power granted to you by Era?”_ **

**_Zelia looked at her. She hadn’t because she was afraid. She’d been without her power for so long that she wasn’t sure she could do it. She looked at her hands and saw them shaking. Celestia moved over to her and touched her cheeks._ **

**_“What’s wrong Zelia?”_ **

**_“What if…what if I can’t?”_ **

**_Celestia let out a laugh. “Zelia, are you listening to yourself? I mean truly? You do realize that your magic is incredibly powerful. Even as a child, you had skills not even your mother and father had.”_ **

**_Zelia looked at her. “Horde Prime is unlike any enemy I’ve encountered,” she said._ **

**_“When has that stopped you?” she said tenderly._ **

**_Zelia let herself break down. “I don’t know…” she admitted._ **

**_“Zelia-”_ **

“Sorceress,” Horde Prime’s voice echoed in the room and Zelia removed her hand from the glass breaking contact instantly.

“Horde Prime,” she smiled as she turned around and bowed. “To what do I owe this visit?” she asked as she looked up at him.

Horde Prime had never thought that Zelia was unattractive. From the moment he transported her on his ship, he knew he wanted to take her for himself. However, she proved rather difficult with her strong will, constant silence and minor disobedience towards him. She told him she was a Queen. Unlike his other wives, she was already born and bred as Royalty. Her courtesies were more often than not accurate and while he knew she despised him, she never once failed to show him the respect his title merited. 

He smiled at her. “I was actually going to go to your chamber because I wanted you to try on the dress for your ‘good will mission.’ My tailors took the time to make it perfect for you,” he stated.

She looked surprised. “You have it already?” she asked. 

“When it is in the name of conquest, I assure you I am always prepared.”

“Fair enough,” she said. “Where is it?”

“In my chambers,” he smiled. 

His chambers...how convenient for him. She looked at Sevgi. “Shall we, 105?”

Horde Prime scowled but knew that the clone was her escort and companion. “Has he been good to you?” Horde Prime asked as he walked over to her.

“Yes,” she smiled. “He’s very attentive. 105, ten paces behind please,” she said.

“Of course, Sorceress,” Sevgi said, clutching his spear a little tighter than normal. The sight of his creator with the woman he loved was...difficult to say the least. But he did as she asked. He counted ten paces and then walked behind them. 

“Should he give you problems, do not be afraid to let me know,” Horde Prime said looking at her.

Her golden amber eyes met with his chartreuse colored eyes. “I doubt he would start giving me problems after all this time,” she said confidently. “I also gave him some training that I gave my staff when I lived on Eden. He knows better,” she said looking forward.

“As he should. You must have been quite the Queen back on your planet,” Horde Prime said.

“I was. Though I was very different from some of the other Queens,” she said, her voice growing softer. She swallowed hard and then looked at him. “Why do you ask?” she said, raising a brow.

“I have always wondered what it would be like to marry a Queen as refined as yourself,” he admitted.

“Well, unfortunately I am not able to bear children which makes a problem for any suitor,” she said.

“Why is that?” Horde Prime asked. “I cannot read your thoughts and have wondered why that is as well.”

She saw his eyes scanning her. “I was cursed as a child,” she said bluntly.

Sevgi’s heart dropped. She’d never told him that...but she was telling Horde Prime. He tried not to let it bother him because of all the things they had shared over the years and most recently a few nights ago.

“Cursed?” Horde Prime asked. “Surely you jest.”

“Not at all,” Zelia said smiling sadly. “My grandmother did it. If Eden still existed, she would not be happy I told you, but it’s true.”

“And pray tell, what happened to you that would merit such a curse?”

“If I knew I would tell you,” she said looking at him.

“So you have no recollection?” Horde Prime asked.

“I mean...I’ve just told you,” she said, a little annoyed. She stopped a few feet away from his door. “But enough about that, what about this dress?” 

“Ah yes,” Horde Prime said, he motioned for one of his clones to open the doors for them. “If it is alright with you, I’d like you just you in my room.”

She blinked twice. “I don’t go anywhere without him,” she stated. “You assigned him to me and I apologize but I don’t feel safe without him. Either we both go or you kill me for my disobedience. Your choice,” she said.

Sevgi admired her courage but often worried at just how bold she was to constantly tell Horde Prime he could put her to death. He watched as his creator sighed in agreement and allowed him to follow behind her. He was thankful that Horde Prime agreed. They both knew that Horde Prime was not to be trusted.

She walked in and stared in awe at the white dress that was on a mannequin. 

“It’s beautiful,” she said as she admired it from afar.

“I informed my tailors to make something worthy of your title for this mission,” he said as he stepped behind her. “Please try it on.”

She looked back at him.

“Is there somewhere for me to change?” she asked as she looked around.

“Surely you would not object to me fixing the dress on you?” Horde Prime said, looking at her. 

She cringed inside and thought what the best diplomatic answer would be. 

“I apologize but I must ask to have privacy. At least from your gaze.”

“And why is that?” Horde Prime asked, obviously peeved that he could not watch her undress. 

She was beginning to regret saying that if he wanted to see her naked all he had to do was barge in on her. She refused to expose herself to him. She let her guard down around him for a moment and wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t know what happened to me exactly, but I know it was when I was alone with someone who was bigger than me. Please...grant me this kindness and if you can’t provide me with a folding screen...maybe you can just turn around. Both of you,” she said, her voice shaky. 

Sevgi heard the pain in her voice and instantly turned around. 

Horde Prime seemed to be annoyed his clone did as she asked. He looked at her and then at the dress. “Please just be gentle with it as you remove it,” he said as he turned his back and walked over to stand next to his clone.

“You’ve served her well H-105,” Horde Prime said. “I should reward you,” he started.

“Thank you, Horde Prime. A reward is unnecessary. I was tasked to serve you by watching over her. The reward is knowing I have done well enough to merit your acknowledgement,” Sevgi said. The true reward was her falling in love with him. The tender moments they spent in secret...the feeling of her warmth against him when they slept together a few nights before. He was thankful for the spell Zelia placed on him that would prevent Horde Prime from seeing those treasured and dangerous memories. 

Zelia sighed with relief when she saw the backs of Sevgi and Horde Prime. She looked at the dress and gently touched it. It was softer than anything she’d ever felt. She removed her shirt first. She felt slightly embarrassed being in nothing more than a black sheer bra. She saw a zipper and gently pulled it down. It was on the side of the gown and it opened wide enough to slip into it. She put her arms through it and looked at the designs on the sleeves that were similar to those of her armor. She smiled to herself as she adjusted the bodice against her chest. She noticed the dress had a slit down the left side to expose her thigh. It was a pretty high slit. She removed her boots and then removed her pants. She realized as she pulled her pants down that she hadn’t made herself any new panties from when Sevgi ripped them off her. She blushed lightly and zipped the dress up.

“You may turn around now,” she said.

Sevgi waited for Horde Prime to turn around first before he did. He waited half a minute to turn around before he looked at her, standing in a dress fit for an Empress. His heart clenched in his chest. Surely white was not the final color Horde Prime wanted for her.

Horde Prime smiled with satisfaction. “You look like an Empress,” he said. He could see his comment made Zelia uncomfortable as she held her hands together in front of her. 

“Thank you,” she said looking at him. “However, this dress is a little too….much,” she commented as she touched the intricate threading and beading.

Horde Prime’s two main eyes narrowed at her. “Too…much?”

Sevgi gulped but saw that Zelia maintained herself. “Yes, too much,” she said. “If 105 and I are going on a good will mission, we’ll need to wear something more accommodating. Perhaps you should ask Hordak for help.”

“You think I should ask that defect for help?” Horde Prime said, almost offended.

Zelia sighed. “Your ego will cause you problems if you keep thinking you cannot get help from others. He lived on the planet long enough to know what clothing would be appropriate for a visit.”

Horde Prime understood what she was saying. He however did not want to ask that defect for help. He was the ideal perfect being, why should he stoop so low to ask his defective clone for help?

“Surely, you can provide some suggestions?”

“Can you bring out a mirror?” she asked.

“H-105,” he said as he snapped his fingers.

Sevgi had seen the mirror from when they first entered the room. He placed his spear against a wall and went to grab the full length mirror that was decorated in emeralds and silver. 

Zelia gasped at her reflection. 

“Does your beauty shock you, Sorceress?” Horde Prime asked with a smirk.

She shook her head. “No. I just...I haven’t seen myself like this in so long,” she said touching the dress. She didn’t want to admit she liked the dress. It was even more beautiful on her than on the mannequin. She noticed Horde Prime came to stand behind her. They looked almost like a bride and groom. What was he planning?

“A true beauty indeed. You don’t need any make-up to enhance your appearance.”

“Thank you, Horde Prime,” she said and then she felt his hand on her waist. Her heart began racing in fear. 

“Let me treasure this moment,” he said, his hands moving her hair to one side as his lips pressed down on her neck.

Her eyes widened and her breath came quickly as her knees gave out and she fell to the floor, catching herself with her arms. Sevgi was at her side instantly. She was panting heavily. 

“F-forgive me. I’m not used to such affection,” she lied as she looked up at Horde Prime. She was careful not to lean into Sevgi. “I apologize, but can you please help me up 105?” she asked, trying to compose herself.

Horde Prime watched as his clone took Zelia’s hands and helped her up. “My apologies, Zelia. I did not mean to cause you harm,” he said, bowing his head to her.

Zelia met his eyes. He hardly ever used her name. He always called her Sorceress. What was he trying to do? She took a deep breath before speaking. “Your apology is accepted, Horde Prime,” she said, offering him a gentle smile. She didn’t like it but she had to play nice for the moment. She smoothed the dress out. “Maybe, I can provide a different dress design for your tailor?” she asked. “Also, are we going to fit 105 with something because he’s also going with me?”

Sevgi looked at her and then looked at Horde Prime.

“So long as the dress is long and not black,” Horde Prime said.

Zelia smiled nervously. “How does purple sound?” 

Horde Prime nodded in approval. Yes. Purple would be a marvelous color on her…

Sevgi looked at her. “Shall we ask for a sketchbook for you to draw your design in?”

Zelia thought for a moment and then looked at Horde Prime. She knew she was going to hurt Sevgi’s feelings but she needed to see if something would work. “Horde Prime, would it be too much to ask you to remove my shackles?”

Horde Prime’s four eyes widened. “What?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Just to change the dress. I will not use my magic to escape. You have my word,” she said as she gave him a sensual smile.

Horde Prime smirked. “If I do this for you, will you do me the honor of spending the night with me?”

Her eyes widened and she inhaled a sharp breath.

“Do not fret. I will not ask you to sleep in my bed; unless you want to,” he said, raising a brow at her.

She looked at Sevgi quickly and then looked at him. “May I inquire as to what spending the night with you entails?” she asked.

“It would be simple. I would like to show you my ship. I know you have not ventured the ship past your work space and your chamber.”

Zelia knew the ship was rather large but why now did he want to do this? “You want to give me a tour?” she asked, confused.

“I know you’ve been very busy working for me with trying to get the celestial being to communicate with you. Consider this an apology for not having H-105 show you around,” Horde Prime said holding his hand out for her.

Zelia knew this would be a night without Sevgi. She’d need to figure out how to open telepathic communication ith him. “Work before play, Horde Prime. Not having a tour of your ship was no hindrance to me,” she said. “Am I to assume that 105 will not be allowed to join me for the night?”

“One night is all I ask,” he said. “Surely one night will not be problematic.” 

Zelia forced a smile and gave Horde Prime her hands. “Tomorrow before we leave then,” she said.

“I will hold you to your word,” Horde Prime said as his long snake-like hair extended to remove her shackles. They dropped to the floor and Zelia’s eyes widened in happiness.

She opened and closed her palms twice before a white light formed in her hands. “Çevirmək,” she said as she waved her hands over her body. The magic transformed the intricately beaded dress into a plain long-sleeved soft purple dress with a white Horde symbol across the chest. It came up to her neckline and she paid homage to Horde Prime to stroke his ego by giving herself a softer white cape and white thigh high boots that were evident thanks to the two slits she placed on both of her thighs.

She looked at Horde Prime. “Well? What do you think?”

“Simple and elegant. Not too flashy but still showing your allegiance to my empire,” he said. “And what did you have in mind for H-105?” he said looking at his clone.

“Something to correspond,” she said, waving her hands over him. She’d never seen him in anything other than white and gray. She transformed his usual tunic to a black and royal purple color scheme to correspond with her dress To show signs of “royalty” she gave him a large black cape with a high collar. “Is he to your liking?” she asked looking at Horde Prime.

Sevgi stood still as Horde Prime circled around him. “H-105, you will do whatever is necessary to maintain the facade that you are me. You and Zelia will pretend you are married.”

Zelia’s eyes widened and she turned red. “Married?”

“I need to confuse my enemy into thinking that I am like them and have...what is that word? Humanity? You don’t have a problem with that do you?”

Zelia shook her head. “No,” she said. She looked at Horde Prime. “Would I be able to call him ‘Husband’ while we are on Etheria?”

“Only there. I would hope you will reserve that name for someone else,” he said.

Zelia wondered if Horde Prime believed she would accept a marriage proposal from him. She had to be careful with her magic once she went to Etheria with Sevgi. Her heart belonged to Sevgi and she could not give it to Horde Prime. “Perhaps one day,” she said. 

“Stand together,” Horde Prime said. 

Zelia moved towards Sevgi. She stood at his side and watched the smile form on Horde Prime’s face. “Picture perfect,” he said as he looked at them.

Perfect. She hated that word.

“Thank you for the kind words,” Sevgi said. “A question though if I may ask.”

“Yes, H-105?” Horde Prime said as he turned his attention from Zelia to H-105.

“Am I to wear this until we leave?”

Horde Prime let out a chuckle. “Oh no. Zelia, if you would please,” he said as he turned all four of his eyes back to her.

“Of course,” she said bowing her head. “Çevirmək,” she said before she conjured up her magic. The magic wrapped around Sevgi and returned him back to his white and gray uniform. 

“Shall we turn around for you to change or will you use your magic?” Horde Prime asked, looking at her.

She knew he was testing her. “Which would you prefer?” she asked curiously. 

“Whichever is easier for you of course,” Horde Prime answered. 

“Çevirmək,” she said as her magic changed the dress into her black pants and black turtleneck cropped shirt. Once she was back in her clothes she returned the beaded white dress back onto the mannequin. “I will see you tomorrow, Horde Prime,” she said.

“I look forward to it,” he said. “May I see your hands?” he asked.

She gave him her hands and he placed the shackles back on. She looked at him. “Thank you, for releasing me for a moment,” she said.

“If you can prove to be trustworthy, I will remove them permanently,” he said.

She looked at him. “May I earn your trust then,” she replied.

“I await to give you your tour tomorrow night,” he said.

She forced a smile. “I look forward to it,” she said as she walked over to Sevgi. “Shall we?” she asked. 

He let her walk ahead of him as one of Horde Prime’s clones opened the doors for her. She noticed a woman walking towards the door. This woman was taller than her but not as tall as Horde Prime. She had short black hair and was dressed in a high-low dress that was white and gray. It was similar to the uniforms Horde Prime had all the others wear. The woman’s blue eyes narrowed at Zelia as she walked towards her. Then she saw it, the emerald ring on one of her fingers. So this was his wife?

“Move,” the woman said as she violently pushed Zelia down.

Zelia said nothing and caught herself. She stood up and began walking forward as if nothing happened. She heard the door close and sighed.

“Was that his wife?” she asked Sevgi.

“One of them. I’ve lost track of how many he has,” he said.

“Oh so he’s got a harem of wives?”

“If that’s the word for many then yes. He does.”

Zelia said nothing as they walked back to her chamber. “So this good will mission we’re doing, we get to be husband and wife,” she blushed. “Perhaps we should discuss this?” she asked.

He tried not to blush at her question. 

“Perhaps we should,” he said as he felt her tug on his arm as she walked into the celestial being room.

“I need to do something before we go see Hordak,” she whispered as she brought him into the room. She looked at the glass encasement and then at him. “Can you place your hand on the glass?”

He was unsure why but did as she asked. Wondering what she was hoping this would accomplish.

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the opposite of his. “Danışmaq istədiyini dedin.”

**_Sevgi’s green eyes widened as he felt himself being pulled out of his body and somewhere completely foreign._ **

**_He looked at the strange world he found himself in. He saw Zelia and the silver mermaid-like being who was in the glass encasement moving about freely._ **

**_“Is this your lover?” the mermaid-like woman asked looking at him._ **

**_He said nothing as he looked at Zelia and then to the being who called him Zelia’s lover._ **

**_“Yes, this is Sevgi,” she smiled. “Sevgi, this is Celestia.”_ **

**_So that was the name of the celestial being. Fitting. He bowed to her._ **

**_“A pleasure to meet you, Celestia.”_ **

**_She smiled, her eyes slightly widening. “He has manners? How precious. Much better than his creator at least,” she said, her silver fingers lifting his chin. He stared into her gray eyes and felt a chill._ **

**_“Do not fear me, Sevgi. I am not your enemy. I am your ally,” she smiled._ **

**_He nodded nervously. “Apologies if I offended you, Celestia.”_ **

**_“I don’t get offended easily, Sevgi,” she chuckled. She looked over at Zelia. “What brings you two here? Are you nervous for your trip?”_ **

**_Sevgi looked at her. “You know?”_ **

**_“Of course, I do. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I don’t see the world outside my encasement. I am just trapped for the time being because I am not currently strong enough to defeat your ‘Big Brother’ without killing my conduit,” she said looking at Zelia._ **

**_“I’m sorry….WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” he said, fear and anger coursing through him._ **

**_“Please, don’t panic,” Zelia said. “She didn’t mean it. Also, there’s a reason for us being here.”_ **

**_Sevgi was no stranger to death. He’d been in battle; he’d carried his fallen brethren and even seen Horde Prime kill clones in their vitrines before their lives had even begun because they were “defective.”_ **

**_“Zelia…please. Don’t tell me you are going to sacrifice yourself,” he said, his green eyes saddening._ **

**_Celestia moved over to him. “This decision was made long before you,” she said, her eyes narrowing some. “There is always a cost for everything. You think Prime will allow you to live if he knew you had fallen in love with her? Touched her heart and her body so intimately,” she smirked. “You will be put to death and you know it. You knew that from the second you stole that key and removed her shackles.”_ **

**_He swallowed hard. She wasn’t wrong._ **

**_“She brought you here because you are needed to make this plan work. You do want freedom for you and your fellow clones, correct?”_ **

**_Freedom? True and absolute freedom? He thought about the world Zelia came from. The place she told him about that surrounded by green vegetation and flowers. Would they be able to live there? Would they be able to be happy together?_ **

**_“And in order to get this freedom, I have to lose her?”_ **

**_Celestia laughed. “Oh no. She won’t die. So long as you both can do what I ask,” she said._ **

**_“Which would be?” Zelia asked._ **

**_“I’m going to help you release your magic so that you can have your power back. Those shackles have proven to be quite a nuisance…” Celestia said. “But all has its place and time. For now, I need you both to help Hordak when you get to Etheria. I know he’s spoken to you about his memories,” she said as she looked at Sevgi._ **

**_“He has. Thanks to Zelia, he hasn’t lost them entirely.”_ **

**_“She’s done well,” Celestia smiled. “She knows the power of memories and knows that Hordak can help bring back the balance to the universe with the help of Entrapta. When you arrive in Etheria, you’ll both contact me,” she said looking at them both._ **

**_“How will we do that?” Sevgi questioned._ **

**_“I’m going to establish a psychic link for you both. That link will also allow you to communicate with me when needed,” she said._ **

**_“Thank you,” Zelia said, bowing her head. She looked at Sevgi and then back to Celestia. “Horde Prime said we need to pretend that we’re married when we go to Etheria.”_ **

**_“How is that a problem?” Celestia asked giggling. “Think of it as pretend. Living out a life you would have if Prime wasn’t a factor.” She seemed pained for a moment. “But aside from that, I need you to hold hands.”_ **

**_Zelia took Sevgi’s hand. She looked at him and smiled. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “Trust me.”_ **

**_He trusted her. He trusted her with his life. With this plan that he knew very little of. There was a reason he was sure as to why she wouldn’t tell him yet._ **

**_“Ağılda qurulan əlaqələrini bağlayın, yalnız bağlantımız yaxşıdır,” Celestia said in the language Zelia used for all her spells. Silver magic surrounded them both, wrapping around their hands like ribbon before moving higher to surround their bodies. In a matter of moments the magic disappeared._ **

**_“You’ll have to let me know if it works. I’ll speak to you soon,” Celestia smiled._ **

Sevgi removed his hand from the glass encasement and looked at Zelia who was adjusting her hair.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

 _What just happened?_ he thought as he looked at her.

_Oh! She stopped time and gave us a telepathic connection link. Can you hear me?_

He looked at her and nodded. _Yes. Will you help explain this to me later?_

 _Of course, I will._ she smiled. “We must see the new arrival,” she said as she walked towards the door. “We haven’t seen him since he arrived.”

“This way, Sorceress,” he replied as they walked out of the celestial being’s chamber.


	12. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime has some ideas of how he expects his night with Zelia to go. Meanwhile, Zelia and Sevgi do what they can to prepare for their mission to Etheria.
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Əsl vəziyyətinə qayıdın - Return to your original state

“Husband, who was that woman?” 

“The Sorceress? Are you jealous dear?” Horde Prime asked his wife, Sunaka.

“She’s very pretty. Why wouldn’t I be jealous?” she said, touching his face to move it to face her. “She was in your chamber and you had a dress made for her. A dress like the one-” she said before being cut off by the press of his finger on her lips.

“Do not fear for your place my love. I need her help to get the weapon from that planet my Little Brother was on.”

“Another world to conquer,” she smiled at him. “How wonderful. But how long must we stay here in this place?”

“Until the Sorceress and my clone bring back the woman who knows how to work the weapon return. Then there will be no need for my little brother.”

“And the Sorceress? Are you planning on making her your bride?”

Horde Prime caressed her face. His hand gently touched her cheek before moving down to her neck and gripping her small throat in his hand. She gasped and he smirked.

“If I wish to make her mine, you have no say in that matter. You must know your place and if you forget, I will have no second thoughts in killing you. Now leave,” he said.

She caught her breath before placing her robe over her shoulders and walking out of the room, tears streaming down her face.

Horde Prime sighed. “And to think we could have had a lovely night.” He got up from his bed and poured himself a drink.

He married Sunaka for diplomatic relations with the kingdom of Krasa. She was an eager wife. Willing to do any and all things he asked. Her beauty was unlike any of the women in Majas however, her people did not have distinct facial markings like he did. They did share the same pale skin, but her hair was as dark as ebony and she had striking blue eyes like sapphires. She was a wife for appearance sake. She did not mind being a trophy wife to him. She was more than willing to follow him wherever he was called off to and did not complain. She was resilient and was more than supportive when he wanted to leave their home planet to expand their rule. Aside from being an amazing lover, she was fruitful when it came to having children. Their first child was a daughter he named Kalene. The second child, a son named Rey. And she had recently also bore a set of twins, both boys named Alvis and Valdis. Out of all his wives, she was the one who came to constantly visit him to spend time with him. She knew his plans and often when they invaded she was the one who chose if he would take a wife from the planet or not. 

He knew she loved him, and he felt horrible for what he had just done to her. But she had no reason to be jealous. She was still the only one who came to share a bed with him at any given moment. His other wives needed more romancing or persuasion. She eased that burden when she could. After he’d told her how tiresome it felt to take care of all his wives, she suggested that he could create clones for that purpose. She herself said she would not want one, but that maybe it would help the others when he was unable to visit his other wives. He had asked all his wives if this would be something that might help and only a few requested what he called Pleasure Clones. They were made to be more in his image than his other clones and they proved to be a delight when he and his second wife, Eslia shared hers one night. He thanked Sunaka by taking a week off and making love to her every night. He put his glass down and wondered what kind of woman Zelia was in the bedroom. 

She was a stunning creature. He wondered if she was a screamer… With her smart mouth he could only wonder how she would look being gagged and begging him to satisfy her. He poured himself another glass and took a long drink. He hoped tomorrow would prove fruitful for him. Having her all to himself for a matter of hours. He let his imagination run.

She’d come to him no doubt in something black. Not that he minded the color but after seeing her in purple, he could only wonder if she would wear a different colored dress. Something strapless would be preferred. Something red. Her hourglass figure was one that could make a man stop dead in his tracks. Especially if the dress was tight around her chest and waist. He’d bring her to this chamber where they would be alone...

He made a note to call H-105 to the Vitrine Chamber prior to calling on Zelia. He knew his clone had done what was asked and had served him well in reporting all that she had done since she’d been captured. However, he was somewhat jealous of how comfortable Zelia was around H-105. He was a clone of him, why was not that comfortable around him? 

But if he could get her alone, he could romance her. She seemed to be the kind of woman who needed to be romanced with flowers and charisma. He would be the perfect gentleman until she let her guard down. He could only imagine how soft her lips would feel against his…how soft her hair would be as his fingers entwined in it. He truly admired her long white hair and imagined how it would feel to wrap its long length around his hand and pull it.

He really regretted hurting Sunaka now…He walked into his bathing room and drew himself a cold bath. He sighed as he thought about how he would approach tomorrow. Zelia was not some simpleton as she’d often reiterated to him. She was very aware of her surroundings and he knew that if he called H-105 away, she would want to know where he was and why he was sent away. He’d have to send H-706 to bring her to him. As well as see how that smaller girl who had been captured was doing. He wondered if she had told Zelia how she had survived out in space…Then he thought about how quickly H-105 was to respond to Zelia when she fell as she tried on the white dress he had his tailors make for her.

Was he truly jealous of his clone? His mind began to create scenarios of his clone getting close to Zelia. Making her stern expression turn into a soft smile with those tender and full lips. He knew his clone watched her in all instances, had his clone seen her undress? Seen her in all her unclothed beauty? Touched her? No this was impossible. He was able to see into all his clone’s thoughts and memories. He had never prodded into H-105’s memories because his reports were always delivered on time as he requested. He would have to see if this was true. He hardly ever let his paranoia get the better of him. He was greater than that but what did H-105 have that he did not? He stepped out of his bath and wrapped a robe around him. He called for a clone to send a message to Sunaka.

“Tell her I need her,” he said. The clone nodded and walked off to send word.

He walked towards the door in his chamber that was off limits to everyone.

“Soon...” he whispered. He sighed as he walked over to his bed and lay down. He heard the door open and sat up.

“You called for me,” Sunaka said, walking over to him.

“I apologize for being rough on you earlier,” he said. “I did not mean to hurt you.”

She crawled over him and smiled inches from his lips. “I could never hate you, my love. I just don’t like knowing you invited another woman here,” she said as her fingers slid under his robe.

“It’s not like anything like this happened,” he said as he tenderly caressed her face and kissed her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sevgi typed in the numbers to get into the room where Hordak was being kept. He and Zelia walked in to see Hordak sitting on his bed.

“Sevgi. Zelia. Thank you for coming,” Hordak said smiling softly.

She walked over to him and smiled. “How are you feeling? Sevgi said you wanted to speak to me?” she said, taking a seat next to him.

“Yes, I keep hearing a woman’s voice in my head. She keeps calling me but I don’t know who she is,” he said, his eyes shifting to a red color.

Zelia thought back to when she saw Entrapta telling him that imperfection was beautiful. “She’s someone special to you,” she said. “I cannot tell you more because we are going to Etheria the day after tomorrow. I hope you can help us show the Etherians that we mean no harm.”

Hordak chuckled. “They will not be very trusting.”

“I expect as much, but that woman who calls your name will be happy to see you.”

“You are going to use me?” Hordak asked, somewhat uneasy.

“Not entirely. I need your presence to show them that we do not mean harm. If you are safe, they will believe us when we tell them that Queen Glimmer and Catra are unharmed.”

“Then why not take them?” Hordak asked.

“Because Horde Prime will not allow them to return,” Sevgi replied. “You know how calculating he is. He won’t lose the Queen of Bright Moon or the Force Captain of the Fright Zone if he can get the weapon known as the ‘Heart of Etheria’ to use in the next invasion.”

Hordak looked at them both. “Will I be used as a pawn again?”

Zelia shook her head. “We just need you to come with us. I will ensure you and Sevgi are protected and that you can be free for the short time we are there,” she asserted as she gently touched his face. “I promise you will see her, and you will remember everything once you do.”

Hordak looked into her golden eyes. He saw that she was honest. “Can you at least tell me her name?”

Zelia’s eyes softened. “Her name is Entrapta.”

“Entrapta…” he said softly.

“Yes. She was your friend.”

“My...friend?”

Zelia nodded. “Yes. And you will see her the day after tomorrow when we go to Etheria for her.”

“What if she doesn’t want to come? What if...she doesn’t remember me?”

Zelia smiled sadly and took his hand in hers. “How could she forget you when she misses you so much?”

Hordak looked at her. His eyes widening and turning red. “How do you know?”

Zelia looked at him. “I can’t say I know because I heard her...but I know because the memories I saw in you tell me you gave her a happiness she had not felt in decades. And that is not something someone forgets easily,” she smiled. Tears formed in her eyes and Hordak gently brushed them away.

“Thank you, Zelia,” he smiled. “Sevgi is lucky to have you.”

She turned red and smiled. “You think so?”

Hordak nodded. “I know in a place where we are fearful for our lives, he is happy because even if he dies, he at least got to spend most of that time with you.”

Zelia looked at Sevgi before looking at Hordak. “I’m the one who’s lucky to have him. I would be dead if he was not my constant companion. He is...more special than I ever thought he’d be. I can at least be thankful to Horde Prime for him,” she said. “Rest up. We will return soon to see you,” she said.

Hordak bid them both farewell and they walked back to her chamber. 

_He’s sweet, like you,_ she smiled looking at him from her peripheral. 

_That girl must have helped him find it. I can assure you it’s not something we are programmed with,_ he looked back at her and tried to hide his smile.

 _I hope you know that I meant what I said. I’m truly thankful for you, Sevgi. I would be dead if it wasn’t for you giving me a reason to look forward to every day,_ she blushed.

 _I am not sure what to say._ He said nothing as he felt his heart begin to race. When they reached her chambers he opened the door.

 _I’ll let you think of something._ She stepped in and felt relieved to be somewhere familiar.

“Zelia you’re baaaack,” Glimmer said, greeting her with a nervous tone.

Zelia looked at her. “What did you girls do?” she asked sternly.

“Nothing much. Well, I didn’t really do it if you want to get technical about it.”

“Thanks a lot Sparkles,” Catra said sarcastically.

Zelia walked over to the other side of the room and saw that Aru and Catra had destroyed her desk and table.

Zelia sighed. “Well, it’s not too badly damaged. What were you girls even doing?” she asked, looking at Aru and Catra.

“Catra was teaching us how to fight!” Aru said excitedly.

Log looked at Zelia. “I saw nothing.”

“Don’t worry about that Log,” she smiled. “Do you mind stepping out for a bit?” she asked. 

“Not at all,” he said. He looked back at Aru and smiled. “I’ll be back soon,” he assured her. He walked past H-105 and out the door.

“So this lesson. Was it fighting with or without weapons?” she asked, looking at Catra and Aru.

“Without…” Catra answered nervously.

“Oh well then, wonderful,” she said smiling. “I’ll fix this up no problem,” she said, extending her arm and opening her hand. “ _Əsl vəziyyətinə qayıdın,_ ” her magic returning the broken desk and table to what it once was. “Easy fix. Did you learn anything new today, Glimmer?” she asked.  
Glimmer looked at Sevgi.

Sevgi turned his back to them and walked towards the door.

“What if he says something?” she asked nervously as she looked at Zelia.

Zelia walked over to her. “105, did you see anything?” she asked.

“Like what, Sorceress?” he asked, turning around.

“You know, unusual?”

“No. Everything is normal,” he said with a stoic expression.

“Thank you 105. You may return to your post,” she smiled and looked at Glimmer. “See, everything is normal.”

Glimmer looked at her. “Yeah...normal.”

Sevgi covered his mouth to hide his smile and laughter from escaping.

_I can’t tell them you’re actually not reporting everything just yet,_ she said to him.

 _As Celestia said, all has a time and place,_ he replied. 

Zelia looked at Glimmer. “So, did you learn anything today?”

Glimmer nodded nervously. “Yeah, Catra is an amazing teacher.”

Zelia smiled. “Well, she is a Force Captain,” she said looking at her. “Okay, so let’s all sit on the bed. I have something to tell you.”

All the girls walked over to the bed and sat down.

Zelia looked at them. “The day after tomorrow, 105 and I will be going to Etheria.”

Glimmer and Catra looked at her. 

“That being said, I need you girls to use Log while I’m away. He’ll be able to get information for you in regards to what Horde Prime is doing. I need you girls to get information on what he’s doing while we’re gone.”

“How long are you going to be gone?” Glimmer asked.

“I don’t see it being long. Maybe a day.” 

Aru looked nervous. “You’re going to leave us for a whole day? Do you think Log can protect us for the day?”

Zelia looked at Aru. “I know it seems like a long time but we’ll be back before you know it.”

“This trip, what’s it for?” Catra asked, her eyes narrowing.

“We need Entrapta,” Zelia said.

Catra and Glimmer looked at her with wide eyes.

“How do you know about Entrapta?” Glimmer asked.

“When Hordak was Reconditioned her name came up,” she said. It wasn’t a lie but it also wasn’t the whole truth. “And since you don’t fully know how to use the Heart of Etheria, I don’t want Horde Prime to kill you for lying to him,” she said as she looked at Catra.

Catra’s eyes widened. “He would really do that?”

“That’s him going easy on you,” Sevgi said.

Catra and Glimmer both looked at him.

Zelia sighed. “He’s not lying.”

“When Zelia first got here, Horde Prime had several of the other clones attack her for retaliating against him. They held her down and beat her. The only thing that saved her was on her way to her execution, the celestial being decided to use her as a conduit.”

Glimmer looked at H-105 and Catra looked at Zelia.

“105 and I are both being sent to Etheria to bring back Entrapta. Horde Prime won’t let us take anything except the clothes on our back so I need you to tell me what messages I can take with me and who I will give them to.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Glimmer asked.

“You seem to have forgotten that Zelia is a powerful Sorceress,” Sevgi said as he looked at Glimmer. “Those shackles disrupt her magic, but they don’t completely cancel it out.”

Zelia smiled at him and looked at Catra and Glimmer. “He’s right. I just let Horde Prime think my magic is limited. The way I’ll get that message is through a projection spell. That spell will just let me show them what I’ve seen.”

Catra looked at her. “In other words, it’s like a physical manifestation of a recording?”

Zelia nodded. “Yes. Exactly.”

“But before that, we need you to tell us about your home planet,” Sevgi said. “We have never been and Hordak is still recovering from his Reconditioning.”

Catra looked at Glimmer. “They might want to go to Bright Moon since the Fright Zone was probably abandoned,” she said.

Glimmer looked at Zelia and H-105. “She’s right. Your best bet is to go to Bright Moon. That’s my kingdom.” Glimmer told them about Bow and Adora. She said if there was anyone who would be welcoming to them it would be Bow and Adora. She told them that they should give Bow and Adora the message first before stating why they are in Bright Moon.

Sevgi looked at Zelia. “I have no doubt that Horde Prime will want you to be the one to lead this mission,” he said.

“I’ll find out tomorrow when I spend the night,” she said almost sickened.

Aru looked at Sevgi with a worried expression.

Sevgi said nothing as he looked at Zelia. 

Zelia looked at Glimmer and Catra. “Did you want to do the message together or separately?” she asked.

“Separately,” Catra said. “I have nothing against you Glimmer, but I want my messages to be delivered privately,” she said looking at Zelia.

“Of course,” she said kindly. “So, are you ready?” she asked Catra.

“Yes,” Catra said standing up. “I’m ready.”

Zelia looked at Glimmer. “I’ll be back for you in a bit,” she said as she walked over to Catra. “105, we’ll be on the other side of the room.”

“Understood. I’ll close the sliding door,” he said, walking to the other side of the room.

Zelia looked at him. “Thank you,” she smiled. “Glimmer, I’ll take your message after Catra’s.”

Glimmer nodded and looked at Aru who opened the door and then closed it.

“Aru, are you okay?” Glimmer asked.

“I was just wondering where Log was,” she replied sadly.

Glimmer touched her shoulder. “He said he’d be back soon. You have to trust him on that.”

Aru nodded and walked over to H-105.

“Hey, do you know what Log does?”

“What do you mean by that, Lady Aru?”

“Just Aru please,” she said. “I’m not a lady.”

Sevgi chuckled. “Apologies, Zelia’s etiquette lessons stated I would address any woman by the title of Lady followed by their name. If you would like me to call you Aru I can.”

“Yes. I like Aru just fine,” she smiled. “What can I call you?”

His green eyes widened some before he smiled. “105 is just fine.”

“But that’s not what Zelia likes to call you, is it?” Aru asked, raising a thick white brow at him.

His eyes met hers. “Are you suggesting there’s another name I have?”

Aru nodded. “I just don’t know what it is.”

“You are much more than you seem, aren’t you?” Sevgi asked her.

Aru smiled. “Maybe. So tell me, what can I call you?”

Sevgi smirked at her. “You can call me Sevgi. That’s what she calls me,” he said looking over at the sliding door.

“It’s definitely better than that number the Wirehead gave you,” Aru giggled.

“Wirehead?” Sevgi asked.

“It’s one of the names she gave Horde Prime,” Glimmer said, walking over to them.

“Your Highness,” Sevgi said, bowing his head.

“You don’t have to do that,” Glimmer said. “Especially since I’ve been untrusting of you for no literal reason.”

“I cannot blame you,” Sevgi said. “I understand the prejudice you and Catra must have especially since Hordak nearly destroyed your home,” he said. “I can assure you, that not all us Clones are the same despite our creator or appearance.”

“You know, I used to think Catra was a terrible person because she was from the Horde. I don’t think I ever gave her a chance until today,” Glimmer said. “She’s really not that terrible. I was just really biased.”

“It’s not uncommon,” Sevgi said. “But moving forward now is all you can do,” he said.

Glimmer nodded and watched as Catra and Zelia walked back to them from the other side of the room.

“Are you ready to give me your message for your friends?” Zelia asked.

Glimmer nodded. “I think so,” she said walking over to her.

Zelia looked at Sevgi. _It’s nice to see you so trusting of others._

He smiled as he looked at Catra who poked Aru’s cheek playfully. _I’ve had wonderful person in my life to show my that there is always a light in the darkness._

 _You truly flatter me in ways I don’t deserve,_ she replied telepathically.

_It’s you I don’t deserve, Beloved._

“Sevgi?” Catra asked.

He turned to her. “Uh yes, My Lady?”

“Oh wow that really is your name,” Catra said surprised.

Sevgi looked at Aru.

Aru smiled. “It wouldn’t be fair if only Glimmer and I knew it,” she replied.

“Yes that’s true,” he said, admitting defeat. “You girls must be hungry. Shall I bring you dinner?”

They nodded shyly.

“Very well, one moment,” he said as he headed towards the door for it to open.

“Apologies for the intrusion,” Log said. “I brought dinner for the ladies.”

“LOG!” Aru smiled as she ran over to him.

Sevgi put his arm out to stop her. “Please let him enter with your dinner first,” he said firmly.

Aru nodded. “Sorry.”

“It’s nice to see you too,” Log smiled nervously as he pulled in a cart with a large array of food ranging from soups to meat and grilled fish. “I asked around the kitchen and was able to get some of the dishes that the Royal family got tonight.” 

Catra’s mouth dropped as he walked over to Zelia’s table. “Are the others going to be eating too?” he asked Sevgi.

“Yes. Zelia is just in a private meeting with Queen Glimmer at the moment but they should be out soon.”

“I see, well you can both dig in if you’re hungry,” Log said looking at Catra and Aru.

Catra smiled as she walked over and put some grilled fish on her plate along with some cooked rice and bread. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the floor leaning her back against it.

“Can you eat with us?” Aru asked Log.

“Well…” he said shyly as he looked at Sevgi.

“It’s not a problem, Log. You can eat with them if you’d like,” he smiled. “Just make sure you leave some for Glimmer and Zelia.”

“Of course,” Log said as he poured himself a bowl of soup and went to sit next to Catra. Aru piled a steak, rice, potatoes and a fish on her plate. She sat next to Catra and Log.

“Thank you for all that information,” Zelia said smiling. “I hope our trip goes well,” she said as she walked out with Glimmer.

Glimmer sighed with relief. “Just promise me you’ll come back,” she said nervously. 

“I don’t think Horde Prime would want to lose me when the celestial being is still onboard,” she sighed. She looked at the cart of food. “What’s this?” she asked.

“It smells amazing!” Glimmer exclaimed as she walked over to it.

“Log brought more food for you all today,” Sevgi said. “So please, eat.”

Glimmer walked over to the cart and got some vegetables and soup for herself and went to sit with everyone else.

Zelia walked over to Sevgi. “That was sweet of him. How did he manage this?” she asked him.

“I’m not sure. He works differently than some of the others,” Sevgi said.

“He’s sweet for looking out for us. This is impressive,” she stated as she looked at the impressive cart with all the food he’d brought them.

“Please eat something,” Sevgi said sternly as he looked at her.

Zelia touched his arm. “I will. Don’t worry,” she said as she walked over to the cart and put some rice and potatoes on her plate. She took a seat next to Glimmer and smiled.

“Hey Zelia, what was your planet like?” Catra asked.

“Eden? Well, it was home,” she smiled. “There were many islands that separated kingdoms. There were desert kingdoms, ice kingdoms to the north and south, and various others across the planet. This was because the “Humans” who lived there before us had done many horrible things. The Gods decided to recreate it for us, and we were given powers that were also used to control us if we lost our way.”

Aru’s eyes widened. “Woooow.”

“How do you know that the “Humans” world was destroyed?” Catra asked.

“When I was growing up, my Grandmother and Mother were part of what was known as the Queen’s Council. When someone ascends to the throne, there is a lot of etiquette, history, protocol, and courtesy training. These histories were fascinating to learn, but we couldn’t share them without permission because we wanted to focus on building a better world. Eden was peaceful for a long time. The wars I was in were never in Eden, we were called away to other worlds by the Elemental Guardians to help them and train us in real time.”

“How did you get wrapped up in that?” Glimmer asked.

Zelia took a deep breath. “My parents gave me to the Air Guardian, Zaphora. She raised me. And living among the Elementals I trained in hand to hand combat and living in war zones. Zaphora and her husband Aneas were warriors and raised me to be one as well. When I went back to my parents, they were shocked at all I had been through.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for them,” Glimmer said.

Zelia smiled. “I was in good hands. I didn’t die, so that’s proof that Zaphora and Aneas raised me well. Besides, it helped once I got back because my father’s son tried to kill me,” she replied.

Catra laughed. “That’s one way to welcome you back.”

“Yeah,” she giggled. “Too bad he got his butt beat by a girl,” she smirked.

“What’s the coolest story you have?” Aru asked.

Zelia looked at her. “I really liked this story from the Old World that Zaphora told me. While it was revered as a tragedy by the Humans, Zaphora told me that it was a story of women who are always wronged are done so for reasons that have nothing to do with them and more of the weak will of men and that no man must ever be allowed to make us feel less than.”

“I hope you know not all men are the same,” Log said nervously.

“Of course not. But the men of the Old World didn’t believe that,” she said. “There was once a maiden named Medusa who served in a temple for the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. She was beautiful and because of this, she caught the eye of the God of the Sea, Poseidon. Unable to keep to himself, he raped her in the temple. Athena cursed her by giving her a head of snakes for hair and anyone who looked at her would be turned to stone.”

“Well that’s dumb, why didn’t she curse the God of the Sea?” asked Catra, clearly upset.

“Unfortunately, the God of the Sea was her uncle. Medusa was mortal, so it was easier to punish her. But Zaphora told me to see it as Athena giving Medusa the power to ensure that never happened to her again. Though the story goes that she was beheaded, Zaphora said she believed that Medusa was never killed. That she hid herself away and survived away from man. She would hide her snakes with a hooded cloak and would wander the land, rescuing people from brigands and thieves. She came to the aid of those who needed her and disappeared. That despite being cursed, she did good things for others until she died.”

“I like that version better,” Catra said smiling.

“I do too!” Zelia agreed. “It was better than her being killed off for some guy who used her as a weapon.”

“Cause asking her for help is too hard apparently,” Catra said sarcastically.

“Oh Catra, you have no idea how hard asking for help is for men,” Zelia said.


	13. Finding Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta learns about the message that Bow and Adora heard. The three wonder what can be done to prepare for their unknown guest.
> 
> A/N: Also, I'm really sorry. I've had so much coding homework the past few weeks with this new programming language I'm learning. Thank you for being so patient with me ♥

The following day, Bright Moon was buzzing with preparing for the unknown visitors under the guise of making the palace as normal as can be for King Micah. Bow and Adora had decided not to mention to everyone that it was going to be people from the Horde after everything that had happened the past few days. The only people who knew about the Horde visitors and possible return of Glimmer and Catra were King Micah, Shadow Weaver and Entrapta. They were surprised Entrapta hadn’t said anything to let anyone know who was coming. Entrapta seemed to be wrapped up in something else entirely.

“Entrapta,” Bow said kindly when he saw her in the hallway.

“Oh, hi Bow,” she smiled. “Is something wrong?”

“Are you okay?” Bow asked.

“Yes. I’m just making sure everything is okay. You know,” she said. 

“I just haven’t seen you around and was worried,” Bow said.

“Oh sorry about that. I’ve been on Mara's ship,” she smiled.

“Mara’s ship? Doing what?”

“LET ME SHOW YOU!” she exclaimed excitedly as she wrapped a pigtail around him in a tight hug. She let him go and they both walked towards Mara’s ship.

The sleek gray doors opened and Bow’s eyes widened as he saw the shards of the Sword of Power on the floor.

“Are you trying to put the sword back together?” Bow asked.

“Yes. But I’m also trying to figure out what exactly makes it what controls She-Ra,” she said. “We have to be honest Bow, we need this in order to fight Horde Prime and his army.”

Bow knew she was right. “Did Adora give you this?” he asked.

Entrapta nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, do you think it’s the Runestone?” Bow asked.

“Possibly. Like the other Princesses, the Runestone is what grants her power, but is that what gave the First Ones the ability to control her or was it the Sword itself? I’m just trying to think of what I can use to put it back together,” she said. “When Adora destroyed the sword, she also destroyed the Beacon which held so much First One’s tech…” she said almost defeatedly. 

“Hey, if anyone can figure out how to fix the sword, it’ll be us,” Bow said trying to be positive. “But right now, we need to make sure the palace looks good before tomorrow.”

Entrapta sighed in defeat but knew Bow was right. “Do you think we should make sure the spare room is good?”

“Oh your right. _“Etherians, do not fear for your friends. They are alive and well. We’re trying to bring them back to you. We’ll arrive the day after tomorrow and explain everything.”_ That’s what the message said,” Bow told her.

Entrapta felt her heart ache. She knew by friends it only meant Glimmer and Catra. She wondered what became of Hordak. Was he all right? “Yeah, we should probably prepare the spare room,” she said again. “That message suggests that someone will be coming with them…if this person even brings them.”

“We don’t know for sure,” he sighed in agreement. “But you’re right. We should still get that spare room ready. So, let’s go,” Bow smiled holding out his hand.

Entrapta smiled and took it as they walked out of Mara’s ship and back into the palace. 

Adora and King Micah had been busy preparing Glimmer’s room. Adora didn’t know who was more excited to see Glimmer: her or Micah. 

Adora had asked Micah to bring down Glimmer’s bed. “She’s been without her connection to the Moonstone. She’s probably weak and unable to use her magic.”

“We’ll need to make sure that’s one of the first things she does when she gets back,” Micah said. “We’ll have to make sure she can reestablish her connection to the Moonstone.” Adora could sense that he was as excited as he was scared to see his daughter come back to Bright Moon. This was a valid fear. He’d been on Beast Island for most of her life. He lived for years with the idea that she was still a child only to learn that she had grown up and become Queen of Bright Moon due to Angella sacrificing herself to pull the Sword of Protection from the portal. “Do you think they hurt her?” he asked nervously.

“I don’t think so,” Adora said. “Remember, the message said that they’re alive and well.”

“There was also another more violent voice that came after,” Micah said nervously. 

Adora got chills thinking about the threat the second voice made. “We didn’t attempt a second try after the spell,” she said reassuringly. “I think trying to locate them is what made the other voice angry. That we attempted a second try after being told that they were fine..”

Micah sighed. “Ancient Magic is not like our magic here on Etheria, Adora. Ancient Magic is much, much stronger but it’s also more dangerous. The users of Ancient Magic are different beings. They aren’t like us who go to school to train in it. They are not only born with it but often the Magic is too powerful for them to control.”

Adora might not know much about magic but whatever sent the second message seemed to be the exact opposite of what Micah was mentioning. The second voice deliberately interfered ONLY after they saw Glimmer and Catra sleeping. If it was truly as powerful as Micah was saying, it could have stopped the location spell from being cast after the first attempt. 

“Do you think the one who used the magic will be the one bringing them?” Adora asked.

Micah sighed. “We can’t be too careful, Adora. If this is Ancient Magic we need to be prepared to defend ourselves if what Shadow Weaver said is true about this Sorceress working for Horde Prime.”

Adora felt that there was some hostility towards this unknown Sorceress. She knew because this felt too familiar. It felt like when she first arrived in Bright Moon and everyone was hostile towards her simply because of the clothes she wore. This Sorceress hadn’t even set foot in Bright Moon and already she was being harshly judged to the point that everyone feared her. Adora knew she might be wrong for doing so, but she spoke out.

“And what if we’re wrong about her?” she asked. “When I first arrived, no one trusted me let alone wanted me here. And now this is my home. I’m not saying that this Sorceress and I are the same but what if we give her a chance when she comes. I mean, the message said she was bringing our friends,” she said defensively. “If she does bring Glimmer and Catra, what good will any hostility towards her do?” 

“Adora!”

Shadow Weaver’s voice echoed in the room.

Adora looked at her.

“Do you really think that this Sorceress is truly going to bring Glimmer and Catra with her? Do you truly believe that she is coming here with good intentions if she is in service if Horde Prime? We don’t know if the message that came through is true or not,” Shadow Weaver sneered.

“What are you saying?” Micah asked.

“Think about it,” Shadow Weaver began. “The Horde may not have come down to attack us but they must be planning something. We must be cautious. The other Princesses will be arriving soon.”

Adora’s blue eyes narrowed. “And what explanation are we giving them for coming here?”

“I requested their presence to host a strategic war council. If we can capture this Sorceress”-

Adora’s eyes widened. Capture the Sorceress? “HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT IF SHE’S AS POWERFUL AS YOU SAY?!” Adora screamed.

“We have the Sorcerer's Guild here, Adora. With all our power we might be able to stop her from getting any messages to Horde Prime,” Shadow Weaver said confidently.

Adora knew that if this Sorceress was as powerful as Shadow Weaver was saying, not even the Sorcerer's Guild would be able to stop her. “Shadow Weaver, I know you mean well but treating this Sorceress like the enemy won’t do us any good if we want Glimmer and Catra back. You’re right, we don’t know if she’s even bringing them but I don’t think this is the best way to handle her visit,” Adora sighed. “Excuse me,” she said as she walked out of the room.

“Adora, are you okay?” Bow asked.

Adora looked at Bow and Entrapta. “No...Shadow Weaver thinks that the Sorceress who is coming is evil,” she said. “I know we don’t know anything but that first message didn’t sound evil or menacing.”

Entrapta looked at Adora. “Adora, do you really think that this person is going to bring Glimmer and Catra back?” she asked.

Adora sighed. “No...”

“Exactly. So whoever is coming is doing it for another reason.”

“But why would they do that?” Bow asked.

“I’m not sure,” Entrapta said, her mind wondering what that reason could be. “What else did you see when the messages came through?” she asked.

“The first message we saw Glimmer and Catra with some woman. She had long white hair but we couldn’t see her face,” Adora said.

“The second message we saw Glimmer and Catra sleeping in the same bed,” Bow said. ”They didn’t look like they were hurt. They just looked tired.”

“And where was the woman?” Entrapta asked. She was curious because Shadow Weaver felt this woman was a threat. But something told her this wasn’t the case.

“I didn’t see her,” Bow said.

“Neither did I,” Adora said. 

“But you don’t think she’s evil?” Entrapta asked.

“It’s hard to say but I didn’t get that feeling from either of the voices,” Adora said. “The second voice didn’t seem evil either, just upset that we were trying to see Glimmer and Catra after we were told not to worry.”

“And Shadow Weaver said this is Ancient Magic?” Entrapta asked again. 

“Yeah she seemed really scared by it too. She said this magic was more powerful than anything here on Etheria. Is such a thing possible?” Adora asked, looking at Entrapta.

“Well, there’s countless possibilities if you think about it,” Entrapta said. “Mara took the stars away to hide us from the universe so the First Ones wouldn’t use the Heart of Etheria. But Etheria has always had magic. Since there’s countless galaxies and countless other worlds, it would make sense that there’s different magic too.” Entrapta looked at them. “But something inside me just tells me that Shadow Weaver is wrong about this Sorceress.”

“Like a gut feeling?” Bow asked.

Entrapta chuckled nervously. “Is that what it’s called when I know that I can’t prove it scientifically but something inside me just tells me that Shadow Weaver is wrong?”

“Yes,” Bow replied.

“Well I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that,” Adora smiled. “Where were you two heading?” 

“Entrapta thought we should make the spare room a guest room for whoever is coming,” said smiling.

“Oh that would make a lot of sense. Can I come with you?” Adora asked.

“Of course!” Entrapta smiled.


	14. The Calm before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the date has finally arrived. Whose more nervous between Sevgi and Zelia for the long night with Horde Prime?
> 
> A/N: A double post because you've all been so patient despite my hectic homework.

Aru woke up to see Zelia preparing a bag.

“ARE YOU LEAVING ALREADY!” she said getting out of bed. She looked down to see she was wearing a white night dress. She walked over to Zelia.

Zelia looked at her and chuckled. “No. Not yet. Sevgi and I are leaving tomorrow morning,” she said. “This bag is for us to go to the larger bathing room. I asked Sevgi last night to request it for us this morning. Log is going to take our clothes to be cleaned,” she smiled.

Aru sighed with relief.

Zelia smiled at her. “Please don’t worry about me,” she said walking over to her and touching her cheek gently.

Aru’s golden eyes widened and she hugged Zelia.

Zelia hugged her back tightly. 

Her eyes widened as she felt a familiar magic. 

_”Princess of Air, it’s been a long time…”_ said River, the Earth Kingdom’s leader. _“The familiarity you feel for this girl is because she’s a descendant from an Elemental Earth master. She doesn’t know it. Her mothers wiped her memory to protect her. She survived out there for so long because Emerene told us that she would be needed to protect something important outside of our time. I’m glad you finally found her. She will be a powerful ally when the time comes. Please keep her safe as long as you can,”_ he continued before his voice faded from her head.

Zelia held Aru a tad tighter. So...the magic she felt in Aru was familiar because it was Elemental Magic of Earth. She might necessarily be from Eden but the magic was similar enough that she could recognize it. Was being here away from land hindering her from accessing her magic? She would have to bring her something back from Etheria. “If I’m bring honest with you Aru, I’m not used to people worrying about me,” she said trying to hold back her tears. Aru was...like her. Someone who was sent away for the purpose of helping someone somewhere else away from her home and family. 

“Sevgi worries about you,” Aru said bluntly.

Zelia smiled as she looked at her. “Yes but he shouldn’t worry about me though.”

Aru looked at her. “But he does and so do we. Can I please come with you?” she asked.

Zelia let her go and held her hands. “I wish you could but Horde Prime is only letting Sevgi and I go,” she sighed. “But let’s get through today. I need you to be strong while Sevgi and I are away. I promise when I come back, I won’t leave you again,” she smiled.

Aru didn’t argue even though Zelia could see that she desperately wanted to oppose her. She smiled at her. “How about, we make a deal?”

“A deal?” Aru asked, looking at her.

Zelia nodded. “If you can promise me to be good, I’ll teach you something special with your magic,” she said smiling as she held her hand out.

Aru’s golden eyes lit up. “Okay. Deal,” she said, taking her hand. She looked around the room and was surprised to see that they were truly alone. “Where did Sevgi go?” she asked.

“I asked him to go and see about getting the larger bathing room for us,” she said getting up. “That’s why I was making a bag. I was getting towels and soaps for us to take.”

“Oh…” Aru said as she looked at the bag. “So that is not what you’ll be taking to Etheria?” she asked.

“No. I can’t take anything with me,” she sighed as she stood up. “Horde Prime is fearful that I may try something,” she scoffed.

“I feel like if you could, you would be able to break out of here,” Aru said.

“All has a place and time,” Zelia said. “But right now, we need to wake them up,” she said looking at Glimmer and Catra. She gently pushed Glimmer. “Glimmer, wake up please.”

Glimmer groaned. “No...I’m tired…”

“Yes I know,” she said. “But you need to wake up so we can get you girls bathed.”

“Today’s cancelled...” Glimmer groaned as she pulled the blanket over her.

Zelia sighed and Aru came up behind her. “I can wake Catra up if you want to wake Glimmer,” she smiled mischievously. 

Zelia smirked and nodded at her. “Deal.”

Aru lifted the blanket and tugged on Catra’s tail. “ZELIA SAID WAKE UP CATRA!!”

Catra screamed and Glimmer shot up and rolled over falling on the floor.

Aru and Zelia both laughed. 

The door opened and Sevgi stepped in. “Good morning, ladies,” he said with a kind smile. “I was able to reserve the bathing room for you this morning, Zelia.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you very much.” She looked at the girls. “Well now that we’re all awake are you ready to get clean?”

Catra hissed at Aru who stuck her tongue out at her. Glimmer rubbed her eyes and looked at a Zelia.

“What about our clothes?” she asked.

“When we get there, Log will take your clothes and we’ll get something new for you to wear until then,” she smiled. “But your clothes will be returned once Log washes them.”

“And the bathing room?” Catra asked. “Are you expecting us to all undress and be naked in front of you?” she asked while looking at Sevgi.

“Oh I won’t be in there. And if you’re not comfortable with nudity I did request linen bathing gowns to be provided for you in the room,” he replied. “I’ll be outside ensuring you are not disturbed.”

Catra’s ears slumped down and Zelia touched her shoulder. 

“It’s okay. This is all new for you,” she smiled. “Let’s go,” she said, grabbing her bag as Sevgi walked ahead and opened the door for them.

They walked down the hall and took a flight of stairs up a level to the large bathing room. The gray room was adorned with paintings of various aquatic wildlife from other worlds. It had several bathtubs and shower stalls. Sevgi closed the door behind them.

“”I don’t know about you but I always feel so much more relaxed after I shower,” Zelia said as she walked over to a bathtub and turned the faucet on. “Our clothes for leaving are right here,” she said as she pointed to several linen tunic dresses made of light green fabric and white cloaks.

Catra walked toward a shower stall. “Hey Sparkles, do you mind helping me unzip this?” she asked as she unclasped the hook on the back of her turtleneck.

Glimmer walked over and unzipped the back of Catra’s suit. Her eyes widened when she saw scars of all shapes and sizes on her back. “All done,” Glimmer said as she walked over to a bathtub and turned the water on.

“If you need any soaps or bath salts, I have plenty,” Zelia said as she covered herself with a towel and undressed herself from the grey sleep set she had.

Aru removed her sleep dress and slipped into the bath Zelia had started.

Zelia smiled at her. “Is it warm enough?” she asked.

“Yes,” Aru smiled.

“Here, this will help,” Zelia said as she poured a lavender oil into the water. “It’ll help you relax,” she said. She stood and turned the water on in the tub a few feet away. “Glimmer, would you like some?” she asked, holding the bath oil up.

“Sure. Do you have any others?” Glimmer asked as she changed into a linen bath gown. It wasn’t as see-through as she thought but she knew that would change once she got in the water.

“I have rose, orchid, lavender, and vanilla,” Zelia said as she looked in her bag. “Which one do you want?” 

“Rose,” Glimmer said.

“HEY ZEL CAN YOU PASS ME SOME SOAP?” Catra asked, poking her head out of the shower.

Zelia walked over and handed her a vanilla soap bar. “Here you go. And here,” she said as she handed her a small bottle of shampoo. “For your hair. I’m sure it’s very pretty if we take care of it properly,” she smiled.

Catra blushed lightly and took the items, closing the door to her shower stall.

Zelia walked to her bathtub and turned the water off. She poured the orchid oil in and stepped in.

“Ahhh,” she said. She took this time to relax. Tonight she’d have to meet with Horde Prime and spend the night with him.

Sevgi waited outside the bathing room. He sighed to himself. Tonight, he’d have to let Zelia go off on her own to be with Horde Prime. He wasn’t willing to let her go but knew he couldn’t oppose her. He knew there was nothing he could do as she had to do this in exchange for Horde Prime removing her shackles so that she could use her magic. He didn’t want to think what Horde Prime would do to her if he had a chance. He knew that Horde Prime was only now seeing Zelia’s worth because she had finally made contact with Celestia. He gripped his spear tightly and could feel himself shaking a bit.

His imagination conjured up images of Horde Prime violently beating Zelia to tire her out before forcing himself on her. Horde Prime could care less about loving her. He was the kind of man who only wanted to dominate her to show his power over her. 

_Are you worried about her?_ Celestia asked.

His eyes widened before he sighed. _Should I not be worried?_

 _Not really. She’s much stronger than you think. Besides, do you really think she’d let that man do anything to her?_ Celestia replied.

_I know she’s strong, but he’s planning on doing something to her._

_He’s a man Sevgi. The only thing he wants her to do is spread her legs for him so he can say he’s bedded her,_ she said almost disgusted. _I’ve seen men like him and trust me, Zelia knows what to do to keep him at a distance while making him think he’s going to get lucky._

_I hope for her sake you’re right._

He felt the door open and turned to see Zelia and the others dressed in the tunic dresses Log had acquired for them.

“We’re all finished,” Zelia said.

“This way,” he said, walking them back to her chambers.

The guard clones opened the doors for them.

“Thank you,” Glimmer said as she walked past them.

Catra’s eyes widened as she walked in and saw a large meal on a cart. “Whoa.”

“Log must’ve come by,” Aru said smiling. 

Zelia was the last to walk into her room before Sevgi. She heard one of the guards telling him that he was requested to see Horde Prime. Her eyes widened.

_Sevgi, why is he calling you?_

_I’m not sure. It’s probably something minor, don’t worry. I will return shortly._

She heard the door close and her heart grew heavy. _Don’t ask me to do something impossible._

“Zelia are you okay?” Aru asked. “Where’s Sevgi?”

She looked behind her and opened the door. “Excuse me, do you know where 105 is?” she asked one of the guards.

“He was requested to go see Horde Prime, Sorceress,” he replied.

“I see. Thank you,” she said.

“Also, Horde Prime requests your presence within the hour.”

She nodded. “Of course. I’ll get ready then,” she said, closing the door.

“Fuck. He wants to see me earlier than I expected,” Zelia said as she sighed.

“Horde Prime does?” Glimmer asked.

Zelia nodded. “Yes.”

“I THOUGHT IT WASN’T UNTIL LATER!” Aru screamed angrily.

“So did I but he moved it up,” Zelia replied, walking over to her closet and pulling out her chosen outfit. “I guess there’s no time like the present,” she sighed as she laid it down on her bed.

“Hey, you got this,” Catra smiled at her. “There’s no way you’re going to let him scare you, right?” she asked, trying to give Zelia confidence.

Zelia smiled. “He doesn’t scare me,” she said. “I’m just worried because Sevgi was called away and I don’t know why or for what.”

Aru could sense Zelia’s worry. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” she said trying to reassure her.

Zelia nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure he will,” she said. She knew Sevgi was upset that she would have to pretend to be somewhat interested in Horde Prime. She didn’t like the situation any more than he did but if they were going to get to Etheria tomorrow she had to do this. If she could use the spell of Sleeping Kiss, she wouldn’t even have to be near Horde Prime. She could sleep on the floor and then wake up before him. It wasn’t a bad plan.

A knock on the door forced her to walk behind the folding screen with her clothes.

“LOG!” Aru said happily. “Is that our clothes?” she asked. 

“Yes,” Log said. 

“Come in,” Catra said. “And thank you for the food. It’s delicious!”

“You’re very welcome,” Log replied happily. 

Zelia sighed with relief. She didn’t want to admit she was nervous. She changed into the outfit she had chosen. She wore her familiar black crop top only opting for a peacock inspired skirt that was high waisted and overlapped on each side leaving a peak at her black high heeled boots. She was shorter than Horde Prime. Any height she could give herself would be an advantage. Tonight, Log would be the one to walk her to Horde Prime. She stepped out and walked towards her vanity. She sighed as she applied a pale lipstick on her lips.

“Zelia you can’t wear that!” Aru commented.

“Why what’s wrong with it?” Zelia asked.

“I think it’s a good look,” Glimmer said. “It’s not too revealing and it's similar to what she normally wears.”

“Yeah besides, it’s not like she’s going to marry him, Aru calm down,” Catra said.

Aru frowned as she crossed her arms. “She looks too pretty. What if Horde Prime tries something?”

Zelia didn’t want to think he would but she had a feeling he wanted her to have sex with him. “I doubt he’ll try anything, Aru. He knows how important this mission is and I doubt he would jeopordize it for something like sex,” she said trying to convince herself that he wouldn’t try anything. “Besides, I’m not part of his Harem so touching me would be a disadvantage to him as he needs me to help him with the celestial being.”

Aru was worried and she had every reason to fear for her safety. Zelia walked over to her and hugged her. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen. Log will be with me. And I’m sure he’ll keep me safe. Right Log?” she said looking at him. 

He nodded. “Of course. You have my word, Aru. No harm will come to Zelia.”

Aru looked at her nervously. “I just don’t get a good feeling from him.”

“None of us do,” Catra said. “But, Zel seems like she’s been able to take care of herself for most of her time here.”

Aru sighed. “Just please come back,” she said, her golden eyes glossing over. 

Zelia held her and nodded. “I promise I will. Safe and sound is how I will return.”

Log looked at her. “We should get going,” he said. “You know that he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Zelia let Aru go, her heart breaking. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she smiled. She let her go and walked to the door with Log. “Ready when you are,” she said. She swallowed her sadness and held back her tears.

Log looked at her. “Are you afraid?”

“No. I’m not afraid of him. I’m just afraid that I don’t know where Sevgi is,” she said. “I’ve never not had him by my side. This feels so strange,” she said. “But I’m thankful you’re here, Log. I see Aru has toned down her affection a bit,” she giggled.

Log blushed. “Aru is definitely passionate but I do like that she’s taken my feelings about her overwhelming affection into consideration.”

“She’s a sweet girl. I know it seems silly to say this after only having her in my life for a few days but I love her so much,” she smiled. 

“She loves you too. You seem to have some strong maternal instincts when it comes to her.”

Zelia smiled. “She reminds me of myself in some ways,” she said sadly. “Please tell them that I’m fine if they ask. I can’t stop them from worrying but if you tell them I’m fine they might worry less,” she stated.

Log looked at her and nodded. “As you wish,” he said.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“We’re approaching,” Log cautioned.

The doors to Horde Prime’s chambers opened and he stepped out, dressed in an all white tunic decorated with faint emerald designs.

“Greetings, Zelia. My, don’t you look beautiful?” he asked, holding his hand out.

She forced a smile and took his hand, curtsying as she bowed her head. “Hello Horde Prime.”

“I see H-706 is your escort,” he commented.

“Yes. I’m not sure where my usual escort has been called to and I didn’t feel comfortable coming alone,” she smiled as diplomatically as possible. She was at a disadvantage without Sevgi, but Celestia had improved her magic some and she could feel it coursing through her. She’d have to be careful that it wouldn’t slip out. “706, can you please stay ten paces behind us?” she asked.

“Of course, Lady Zelia,” he said.

Lady Zelia. She hadn’t heard that term since she was back on Eden and in training to be a Queen. She looked at Horde Prime. “Shall we?” 

He held his arm out to her and she took it. It was going to be a long night.


	15. The Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelia and Horde Prime's date isn't what Zelia thought it was going to be.
> 
> A/N: BOOM!! 3 Chapters for you before the BIG chapter on Monday! You are all the reason I do this and I hope you like it

Horde Prime smiled at Zelia as her arm wrapped around his. Though it was subtle contact, he hadn’t really gotten the chance to touch her. Her fall during the dress try on was unexpected but at least this way he’d be able to grab her if she tried that again.

“I thank you for joining me this evening, Zelia.”

She didn’t have a choice. “I should thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this for me,” she smiled. She had to be as diplomatic as possible. 

“Your attire is new.”

“Just something I made with the fabric you’ve provided,” she said. “I don’t mean to pry, but why now do you choose to give me a tour?” she asked.

Horde Prime smirked some. So, she was observant.

“I just felt it was the time. After all, you’ve done nothing but attempt to make contact day in and day out for so long. I’m wondering why the celestial being is only now being responsive.”

“I couldn’t say for sure. I was always taught to respect the magic of the Ancients.”

“I was taught something similar,” he said.

She was surprised though to hear Horde Prime knew of magic. She always thought that he was some kind of advanced scientist. “You...know about magic?”

“Somewhat. How else did you think I was able to make those lovely shackles as a gift for you,” he smiled.

She raised a brow in annoyance. “If I’m being honest, I would hardly call it a gift…”

He chuckled and she took in a breath. 

“I’m just surprised. For not having magic yourself, you were able to create shackles that disrupt it,” she commented.

“I have many interests.”

“Aside from conquering the known universe?” she asked sarcastically. “So...why the desire to rule the universe? What drove you to want to do this?

“I simply wanted more in life. Life is such a fragile thing. Why settle for the bare minimum?”

“What about all the people you’ve-” she was cut off by a child’s presence in front of her. The child had purple hair and pink skin. The child was just a little shorter than her in her heels; if she wasn’t wearing them she would still be only a few inches taller. The child had golden eyes and the distinct marks on their eyes like Horde Prime had on his left side. The child also had a long tail. “Hello. I’m Zelia, what’s your name?” she asked politely.

The child grabbed her hand and touched her right arm. “Are you a child of Horde Prime?” she asked before she felt the child bite on her arm.

“TERR!” Horde Prime exclaimed in shock. “I’m so sorry Zelia,” he said appalled. “She's never this rude.”

The young girl let her go nervously and Zelia just laughed.

“She’s okay! It didn’t hurt. It felt like a baby dragon bite,” she said as she looked at her right arm.

Terr’s golden eyes widened a bit. “You had dragons?”

Zelia nodded. “Yes, I raised them. Well, I used to before I came here.”

“WOW! Can you tell me about it please?”

“If your father is okay with it, I would love to tell you more about it,” she smiled wide. She looked at Horde Prime nervously.

“I don’t see why not. But Terr, what are you doing outside the home? Why is H-512 not watching you?”

Terr’s golden eyes rolled. “Really Dad? I can’t venture away from home for a little bit?”

Zelia suddenly felt awkward. “It doesn’t have to be tonight…”

“No time like the present,” Horde Prime said smirking. “Come,” he said motioning them to an elevator. “H-706 will leave us here.”

Zelia looked at Log nervously.

He smiled some and mouthed, ‘You’ll be alright. I’m going to find Sevgi.’

Zelia smiled and nodded as she looked at Horde Prime. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“We’re going back home,” Terr said annoyed.

“Home?” Zelia asked.

“You don’t mind coming do you? I need to make sure Terr doesn’t wander off again.”

“She seems old enough to come and go as she pleases,” Zelia commented bluntly.

Terr looked at her father nodding with a smirk.

“Have you always had such a mouth on you?” he asked, his tone somewhat angry.

She smirked. “Of course. How else did I become Queen of Lacia?” she said flipping her hair lightly.

“I like her, Father,” Terr said smiling at her.

Zelia smiled at the young girl. “I like you too, Terr.”

He looked at Zelia curiously. “Your family didn’t secure your place for the throne?”

She shook her head as the door opened and waited for him to step out. They were on a much different floor. This one was...homey? She felt like she was entering a palace. 

“This is your home?” Zelia asked.

“Sort of. This is where we all meet for dinner,” Terr said as she walked out after her father.

“Terr, get the other children ready for dinner,” Horde Prime called after her.

Zelia was unsure why she was here but she looked around and noticed it was decorated like a temple in the Hathorian Kingdom of the Golden Territory. It was sand colored, decorated in mostly emerald and white paintings. There were many portraits of Horde Prime and his...several families?

“I’m not sure what I did to merit entrance here,” she said nervously looking at him. 

“FATHER!” cried a child.

Zelia’s golden eyes widened at the young child who had his green eyes and white skin but had two sets of arms and three eyes, one in the center of his forehead. 

And suddenly, there was a shift in him. He was embraced by the child. He called the child Leon. Leon asked if he was coming to read him a bedtime story and he responded by saying he was busy working. The child looked at her and whispered if she was going to be his new nanny or mother.

She turned away and noticed the tall woman from earlier approaching her.

“Hello, I’m Sunaka. Welcome to our home.”

Zelia tried not to wince at the fake welcome but put on her best smile and curtsied like Queen Adriana taught her. Right leg bending and left leg behind her. Arms out like a dancer and bowing her head.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she replied. “A true honor to be in your lovely home,” she smiled. 

Sunaka smiled at her. “A pleasure to have you here,” she said as nicely as she could. She then called Leon and both walked out of the room.

“If you need to be with your children the tour can wait,” she said kindly. “I would hate to interrupt their routine.”

“They are accustomed to small visits. After all, I am a busy man. Being the Emperor of the known Universe is no easy task.”

She fought the urge to roll back her eyes and went back to looking at the paintings and said nothing. “How many children do you have?”

“Twenty.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Wow! On Eden the largest family I ever saw was a family of seven,” she replied. “How many wives?”

“I have 12 at the moment.”

She hoped she wouldn’t be unlucky number 13. “You must be a very busy husband then. 12 women vying for your attention and affection.”

“My wives know better. They did undergo some etiquette training like you,” he said sternly. “But I was honest when I said I could only wonder what it would be like to marry a woman as refined as yourself.”

She could only imagine if his training was more brutal than Queen Adriana’s. She thought back to when she made them strip down to their underwear and made them walk 2 miles in the snow with teacups and books on their heads while wearing 6-inch heels for not grasping the lesson of staying silent. 

“As expected, I suppose,” she said deflecting. “Sunaka seems charming,” she smiled. “I’m sure she’s a lovely wife.”

“She’s a much more incredible lover,” he replied shamelessly.

“Well, with twenty children, I think that’s more of a given on your end,” she replied.

He smiled at her. She truly was a lovely woman. Refined and diplomatic. What would it take to make her say yes to be his wife he wondered?

“Horde Prime, dinner has been served,” said a clone.

“Thank you. Zelia, please join us,” he said holding out his hand.

She took it and followed him to the dining room. It was grandeur to say the least. Unlike the silver in the ship, his home had gold accents with deep emerald gems bringing color to the sand colored room.

“You will sit next to me,” he said.

“Of course,” she exhaled as she waited for him to point out which chair would be hers.

She noticed the children sat separately from the adults. An odd custom but not one she had never seen. She smiled at Terr and Leon. There were seventeen children's seats. She figured the other three were old enough to be considered adults. His children varied in looks but many of them had the same distinct lines on their faces that he had. There were little girls and boys of various alien races. Her heart was tugged because she had always wanted to see her own child one day sit with others like that.

“Zelia.” Horde Prime called.

She turned her face to him. “My apologies! I was just admiring your children,” she smiled. “They are truly beautiful.”

“Oh, isn’t she delightful?” said a woman with blue skin and yellow eyes. Her skin had striped markings and she had curly black hair that was long and voluminous. “I’m Eslia. A pleasure to meet the Sorceress my husband speaks so highly of.”

“He speaks highly of me?” she asked, confused.

Another woman who looked somewhat human with emerald green hair and pale gray eyes nodded. “Oh yes. Our husband hasn’t been impressed with a Sorceress since the one before you,” she smiled as she placed one set of arms in her lap and the other on the table.

“I’m not used to having him speak to me due to his busy schedule,” Zelia said. “But thank you. I do appreciate the kind words,” she smiled.

“You’ll sit here,” Horde Prime said, pulling out her chair.

She bowed her head and adjusted her skirt as she took a seat.

“FATHER SHE WAS GOING TO TELL ME ABOUT DRAGONS!” Terr called out as she walked over to Zelia.

“Terr!” one of the women said sternly. 

Zelia looked at Terr and smiled. “Maybe later if I have time,” she said kindly.

Terr sat back down and several clones brought out food for them. So, she was really here for dinner. She felt somewhat relieved. She listened to the women talk and felt somewhat normal for a moment. This was like her dinners back on Eden with the Queens Council. She answered questions about what she was doing to the best of her knowledge. Then came the uncomfortable question.

“Have you had sexual relations with your clone yet, Zelia?” asked Sunaka.

Zelia choked on her water and coughed to clear her throat. “I beg your pardon?” she asked, offended. While she had, it was no concern to anyone in this room.

“Oh, don’t worry. We all have companion clones our husband gave us for when he can’t make it to our rooms,” Eslia said nonchalantly.

Zelia smiled uncomfortably. “Unfortunately, working on making contact with the celestial being is very draining. I am often being helped back to my room by my clone, 105. That kind of activity would be out of the question especially when I need to rest to make up for being exhausted trying to make contact,” she said. 

“Hear that darling. Maybe you should let him out of the solitary chamber,” Eslia said.

Zelia’s eyes widened. “The what?”

“Oh, he had your clone placed in solitary thinking he wasn’t telling him everything.”

Zelia looked at Horde Prime. Every part of her wanted to lash out and attack but she simply rose a brow at him. 

“Are you upset?” Horde Prime asked, taking a drink of his wine.

“I just don’t understand where the distrust comes from,” she replied.

“Oh he does it to all the assigned clones,” Sunaka said. “It’s nothing serious.”

“Forgive me but solitary where I’m from is a cruel punishment. Is that not the case here?”

The woman with green hair spoke. “No, it’s usually done to prepare them for battle or any excursions our husband needs them to do,” she said smiling.

Zelia felt some relief but that didn’t settle her unease. That explained why she hadn’t gotten any telepathic communication from him.

“What troubles you, Zelia?” Horde Prime asked.

“I’m honestly just confused,” she said facing him. “But I’m sure you have your reasons,” she smiled; wishing she could hold a knife to his throat. “Does this have anything to do with our goodwill mission?” she asked as she took a drink of her water.

“Of course. I want to ensure he’s well rested and ready to do what I need him to,” Horde Prime said.

“I understand,” she said. She looked over at the children and smiled. “You are all so lucky to have such beautiful children,” Zelia said to all the wives. Though she did notice that there was no woman who looked like Terr at the table. She wondered if her mother was the one who had been executed for trying to kill her child. 

“Do you have any children?” Eslia asked.

Zelia shook her head. “No,” she smiled sadly. “My duty to my kingdom always took precedence.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What kind of duties did you have?” asked the woman with green hair.

“Well, I was a warrior on the battlefield for a good part of my younger days. Then I became a swordsmanship instructor at the Armadic Academy, followed by putting in my package to rule without a King to the King Court and Queens Council. And finally being an emissary for my Kingdom.”

“My goodness, you hardly had time for yourself it sounds like,” Sunaka commented.

“Such is the life of the only child who wants the throne,” she smiled. “It was an honor to do what my brothers could not,” she smirked. “It takes a certain kind of woman to do what I do,” she said.

“Perhaps my wives could benefit from your knowledge,” Horde Prime said.

Zelia felt all the women’s demeanors change and knew that they had not lived up to the role he had put on them. She smiled kindly at them. “I would be honored to be a...tutor for you all,” she said.

Sunaka looked at her. “Maybe when you're less busy with your work,” she said. “After all, we will be leaving this planet soon, won’t we dear Husband?”

Horde Prime took a drink of his wine and nodded. “Yes, I don’t like staying in one place for too long.”

“Most conquerors don't,” Zelia said finishing her water.

When they finished eating, Horde Prime excused himself and Zelia. He said he was off to complete his tour. She followed him back to the elevator and stepped in.

“I told Terr I would tell her about dragons,” she said. “Perhaps when I return I can keep my promise to her,” she smiled some as she looked at him.

He nodded. “Yes. I’ll have to have her clone take her to your chamber when you return. Are you nervous?” he asked.

“Somewhat. Tell me, aside from bringing Entrapta here, what are your plans for Queen Glimmer and Force Captain Catra?” she questioned. 

“I might have to marry Glimmer in order to create an alliance with Etheria.”

Zelia tried not to let her expression show that she was sickened by the idea. “Is that what you did with your other wives?”

“Yes. Most of them. Some of them I married because I found them too beautiful not to have by my side,” he said nonchalantly.

“What will happen to Catra and Entrapta?” 

“The Force Captain will be put through rigorous tests to see if she can make it as a general for my oldest daughter, Kaelene. If this Entrapta is capable of unlocking this weapon for me, I’ll make her my head scientist,” he smiled cruelly. “After all, all creatures no matter how small have a place in service of Horde Prime.”

The elevator stopped on her level.

“We’re here. Please after you,” he said. 

Zelia walked out. “Is our time together coming to an end?” she asked.

“Not at all,” he smirked. “I just wanted to bring you back to my chamber.”

Her heart began beating against her chest as she walked to his door. 

“Tell me Zelia, why do you care what happens to H-105?” he asked as he opened the door.

“Because he’s to come with me on the good will mission tomorrow,” she stated looking at him as she walked into his chamber. “If he’s weak and weary, how is that going to be beneficial?”

“So, you’re concerned for the mission more than H-105?” Horde Prime asked, smirking.

She nodded. “Yes. I want the mission to go well. Is that wrong of me?” she asked.

“Not at all. I must say I’m impressed by your compassion for an expendable clone,” he said. “But since you are that concerned for H-105, I will have him returned to your room.”

“Thank you,” she said. “But please have it be done soon. I would like him to be there when I return.”

“Consider it done,” Horde Prime said snapping his fingers. A clone came to his side.

“Let the laboratory know that H-105 is to be returned to Zelia’s chambers immediately.”

“Understood,” the clone said walking off.

She felt her heart lift with relief. “I must say, your family is lovely,” she said trying to pay him a compliment. “You are very lucky to have so many people who love you.”

“Thank you.”

She noticed in his chamber there were no clones. She felt panic but remained calm. Her mother always said panic did no good in these situations. 

“Did you give all your clones the night off?” she asked, her body stiffening.

“I thought it only fair since I had H-105 and H-706 dismissed.”

“Yes. But you did that without my consent,” she retorted. 

“Have I done anything inappropriate to you?” he said.

He had her there. He had done nothing but be respectful of her boundaries and only held her hand. 

“No,” she said defeated. “You have not.”

“I’m not your enemy, Zelia. Have I done anything since your arrival to hurt you?”

“No, Horde Prime. My apologies if I come off as defensive. You could say it's my nerves before this mission,” she said deflecting. 

“Would it ease you to use your magic?” he asked.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Depends. What do you need me to do?” she asked.

“I have something I have not been able to do with science, and wondered if your magic would be able to do anything about it.”

“And what is that?” she asked, curiously.

He held out his hand and she took it. He led her to the door that was off limits. He opened it and Zelia’s eyes widened.


	16. Karaliene & Pirmais

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelia finds herself doing Horde Prime a favor, a favor that takes her back to his past to find out what kind of person he was before all this.
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Xatirələrinizi mənə göstərin - Show me your memories
> 
> Piešķiriet spēku šim cilvēkam iekarot visu, ko viņš vēlas. Ņemiet no viņa to, ko viņš mīl, kā samaksu par viņa alkatību - Grant power to this man, to conquer all he seeks. Take from him what he loves as payment for his greed
> 
> A/N: All right, this is a long chapter...About 30 pages. I put so much time into this chapter to make it as mysterious and heart clenching as possible. Thank you to @theladyofthegeneral (Instagram) I couldn't have done this without your wonderful guidance! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did creating it!

Zelia’s golden eyes widened when she saw the woman in the vitrine. She looked like Hordak. She had deep blue hair. Her eyes widened when she saw markings that looked like the ones Hordak had on his shoulders and arms. She was frozen in sleep. Zelia looked at Horde Prime. 

“Who is this?”

“Her name is Karaliene. She is from Majas. That was the name of my home. She...she saved me. When I was born, my mother was told I would not survive because of my size but she held me and said that was a lie. She said I would be a great ruler one day,” Horde Prime said, lost in a memory.

Zelia looked at him, surprised that he was showing her true vulnerability. She wouldn’t let that sway her as she returned her attention to the woman named Karaliene in the vitrine. “Is that why you became a conqueror? For her?” She noticed a bloodied spell on the glass. She looked back at Horde Prime. “You wanted to prove her right?”

Horde Prime looked at her. “I have proved her right.”

“Have you?” she asked, somewhat defeated. 

“What does that mean?”

“Well, if conquering the universe was what she wanted for you, why is she still asleep?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” he said. “I understand your magic is powerful. Maybe you can see why she locked herself in there.” His voice was somber.

“I might be able to look inside her memory. But you’ll need to remove my shackles,” she expressed. 

Horde Prime was reluctant but did as she asked. “I do want you to know that I cannot open the vitrine, Zelia. She must have sealed it with magic.”

“Probably what that black blood is then. A seal to keep her there. I’ll do what I can to get the answer you seek,” she replied.

“Do not hide anything from me,” he warned.

“Oh I won’t,” she said with a smirk. “Because you’re going to see what I see,” she said as she took his hand and touched the bloodied spell. 

_“Xatirələrinizi mənə göstərin”_. Her eyes widened as both Karaliene and Horde Prime’s memories were put on like a movie in her head.

**_”One more breath, Queen Skuķis. Your son is almost here,” said Karaliene as she held a blanket under the pregnant woman._ **

**_Queen Skuķis let out a breath and an infant's crying filled the room. The other women in the room rushed to her side and helped her lie down. Karaliene wrapped the infant in the white linen blanket and smiled as she wiped him down._ **

**_“Hello Little Prince,” she said softly as she stood. “Welcome to Majas.”_ **

**_“Let me see him!” came an order from King Smaragd._ **

**_“O-of course,” Karaliene said as she held the infant. “Here is your son, my King,” she said._ **

**_One look at the infant and King Smaragd looked at his wife in disgust. “YOU BIRTHED A MUTANT RUNT!”_ **

**_Queen Skuķis gasped as her eyes filled with tears._ **

**_Karaliene frowned. “You’re wrong,” Karaliene said softly. “He will be a great ruler when he grows up,” she said as she wiped his face and smiled._ **

**_“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING PRIESTESS?! LOOK AT HIM!” King Smaragd screamed._ **

**_“I am,” she said sweetly as the infant cried in her arms. Karaliene rocked him and looked at the infant's father. “Your Highness, I’ve been delivering children for several years as well as helping the Elders with foreseeing the future of our kingdom. I have yet to be proven wrong,” she said sternly._ **

**_King Smaragd scoffed and went off._ **

**_“Is what you say true, Priestess?” Queen Skuķis asked._ **

**_Karaliene nodded. “Yes. You can consult with the Elders if you don’t believe me,” she said walking over to her. “Here is your son.”_ **

**_Queen Skuķis took her son and smiled. “What would be a good name for him?” she asked nervously._ **

**_Karaliene smiled as she moved the blanket to look at the infant's face. While he may have had three eyes on his right side, she knew that he was destined for greatness. “Pirmais,” she said. “Suiting because he’s your first son.”_ **

**_Karaliene was Pirmais’ nursemaid. She helped his mother with taking care of him in between feedings and she often told him stories of the kind of ruler she hoped he would be._ **

**_When her services were no longer needed when he was around the age of 5, she bid him farewell and returned to the temple where she served the Elders as a psychic for the kingdom of Majas._ **

**_“KARA DON’T GO!” he cried._ **

**_“I must go, my sweet boy,” she said sadly. “But don’t cry, you can always come visit me when you want to see me.”_ **

**_He hugged her tightly and she held him, holding back her tears. She let him go and waved him good-bye. He watched her as she walked away._ **

**_“Pirmais, come here,” called his mother. “You mustn’t be sad. Karaliene has duties she must do.”_ **

**_“Why can’t she do them here?” he asked. Unlike the maids of his palace, Karaliene was not afraid of him. She never flinched when he looked her way like they did. She always told him how handsome he was for such a small boy. He missed the feeling of normalcy that she gave him. That he was NOT a mutant as he’d often heard his father call him. His sisters all looked like his mother. They had two eyes and had long dark gray hair. He’d gotten his father’s white hair and Karaliene often told him how she admired the color._ **

**_“She’s a Priestess of Majas, Pirmais. She cannot abandon her temple to stay here.”_ **

**_Pirmais frowned. There had to be some way for her to return and stay with him. He’d have to ask his father, despite not wanting to talk to him. “I just wish she didn’t have to leave,” he said._ **

**_“She’s a lovely girl,” his mother smiled. “It’s a shame she’s not a princess.”_ **

**_A princess? If she became a princess then she could stay with him? “May I talk to Father?” he asked._ **

**_“Later tonight,” his mother said. “Come, let us go with your sisters.”_ **

****

**_She walked to the temple and was not happy to be back because she knew that no matter what she did or predicted, if it was not to their liking she would be beaten, starved or locked in isolation like she had when she was first taken from her mother. She took a deep breath and entered the temple where she lived._ **

**_It only took a few weeks before Pirmais came to her temple while she was gardening._ **

**_“KARALIENE!” he cried out as he approached her._ **

**_“Prince Pirmais,” she smiled as she looked up from her garden. “What a lovely surprise,” she said standing. “How are you?”_ **

**_“Karaliene,” he smiled nervously as he approached her. “I’m well. I wanted to ask you a question,” he blushed._ **

**_She kneeled down and looked at him. He was blushing and she caressed his cheek before speaking. “Oh? And what is that, little Prince?”_ **

**_“WILL YOU BE MY WIFE?” he blurted._ **

**_She turned red. “Uh...uh...Pirmais I’m...very old,” she said nervously._ **

**_“Age is not a factor,” King Smaragd said, approaching them. “He won’t be swayed with anyone his own age. He wants you to be his wife and I see no reason why you can’t say yes.”_ **

**_Karaliene stood up and bowed her head to him. “Your Highness as a Priestess of Majas, I doubt the Elders will allow me to become a wife even if it is to the Prince,” she said trying to deter the proposal._ **

**_“Oh, like Elder Varna?” King Smaragd asked as a woman walked up next to him._ **

**_“You would be wise to heed the child’s request,” Elder Varna said, her eyes narrowing. Karaliene felt her body grow tense. “Imagine the good you can do as Queen if your prediction comes true. You will be able to help Majas even more than you do now.”_ **

**_Karaliene looked at Pirmais and nodded. “Very well then, Prince Pirmais, I accept your proposal.”_ **

**_“Marvelous, we will begin the wedding planning,” Elder Varna said looking at the King. “Karaliene will be more than ready to take the duties of becoming a princess,” she said as they walked off._ **

**_Karaliene felt her heart grow heavy but then felt Pirmais’ hand holding hers. “I promise I’ll make you smile every day!”_ **

**_He was so young but so sure that she was the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. She smiled and kneeled down to meet him at eye level. “If you truly do love me as you say you do, then I will be very happy.”_ **

**_“I love you the most, Kara,” he said kissing her cheek._ **

**_She blushed lightly. “You are the sweetest to me, Pirmais. Sweeter than anyone in the whole world,” she said as she caressed his cheek with his three eyes. She knew his mother had often strayed from showing this side of his face affection and she would not let him feel that he was any different than anyone else. He was special and she would ensure that he knew it. She also knew she had less than a week before she became a Princess of Majas._ **

**_Pirmais said good-bye to Karaliene and walked back to the palace with his father._ **

**_“Are you certain that Karaliene is the one you will marry?”_ **

**_“Yes!” he said. Though he was only a child of 5 years old, he knew that he loved Karaliene more than anyone in the world. He was so sad the day she left. He remembered her telling him stories about the stars and how one day he would lead their people to a world beyond the stars. He knew if he married any other girl, she would never support him or look at him the way Karaliene did. Though she was older than him, it did not matter. He wanted her. And by the following week, they would be married._ **

****

**_Karaliene was dressed in a white gown with beaded emerald accents. She looked so different today. She’d never worn her hair straight. It was usually wavy, but straight was what Pirmais’ family wanted for the wedding. Atop her head was a simple silver crown with a dangling emerald that was now hers to keep. She just had to make it through today. Though she was not happy about marrying a child, she was given no choice. She could always be shackled and chained in the dungeons of the temple. This wouldn’t be so bad she thought to herself. Pirmais was a sweet boy, and while he was only a child, she would not abuse him as she was abused by the Elders._ **

**_She sighed and wished her mother was there with her. Her mother would not be attending. No surprise, the Elders had always been envious of them for being able to live so long. Why did her father have to make a deal with the Dark Magician to curse them with longevity? She took a deep breath and grabbed the flowers she was asked to carry. White peonijas. She smiled. Pirmais knew these were her favorite. She took a deep breath and opened the door and saw Elder Kukainis waiting for her._ **

**_“Come, Karaliene,” he said holding his arm out. “Today is going to be the greatest day of your life,” he said._ **

**_Karaliene smiled as she took his arm. “Thank you Elder Kukainis. It will be,” she said. She would no longer have to live in the place where she had been abused any longer. She would be living in a new palace with her young husband._ **

**_They walked down to the ceremonial temple. She smiled when she saw her young husband waiting for her. When she reached the altar, she adjusted her dress before she kneeled down and took Pirmais’ hand._ **

**_His green eyes were filled with excitement and joy. As Elder Varna read the traditional marriage rites, Karaliene wondered what she could do to help Pirmais become the leader she foresaw._ **

**_“Karaliene, do you take Pirmais as your husband?”_ **

**_“I do,” she smiled._ **

**_“Pirmais, do you take Karaliene as your wife?”_ **

**_“YES! She’s the one I love and the only want I want to be with,” Pirmais smiled._ **

**_Karaliene blushed at his proclamation. He may have been a child, but no one had ever said anything like that to her in her life. While it was somewhat unconventional for Pirmais to be married so young and to someone her age, he said he loved her and she had to believe him. He placed an emerald ring on her left hand. Karaliene kissed his cheek and he took her hand and kissed it. She smiled as they were pronounced husband and wife. She stood and looked at Pirmais._ **

**_“Are you happy, Young Husband?”_ **

**_He nodded and hugged her. She put her arm around him before they were escorted away to be taken to the bridal suite of the temple._ **

**_“Do not fail to make heirs,” Elder Kukainis said._ **

**_“Good night, Elder Kukainis,” Karaliene smiled as she closed the door in his face. She would NOT take advantage of a child. She looked at Pirmais who was jumping on the bed. She smiled to herself and stepped into the bathing room and dressed into her nightgown. The long linen dress was a soft gray that complimented her pale skin. She removed her small crown and stepped out. She smiled as she looked at him._ **

**_“Young Husband, are you enjoying yourself?” she asked._ **

**_“KARALIENE! THIS BED IS SO SOFT!!” he laughed as he jumped down and hugged her. “Do we get to sleep together now?”_ **

**_“Yes, Pirmais,” she smiled. “But just sleep. You’re still too young for what the Elders want us to do,” she said, holding him close._ **

**_“What’s that?” he asked curiously._ **

**_“Something we will do when you are much older,” she said as she touched his braided hair. “Are you ready to sleep now?” she asked._ **

**_He nodded and she picked him up and placed him on the bed. She walked to the other side of the bed and got atop the blanket. It was rather warm in the suite. They would be here for seven days until their home was finished as was tradition._ **

**_“Karaliene, you are so pretty,” he smiled shyly as he put an arm around her. He saw her smile and felt his heart beat quickly._ **

**_“Thank you, Young Husband. I cannot wait for you to grow into the handsome man I know you will be,” she said as she put an arm around him. “Please sleep now, my love. It’s been a very long day…”_ **

**_“Okay. But can you tell me a story?” he asked._ **

**_“Of course, I can,” she smiled as she told him about the life she wanted them to have._ **

**_They did not leave their bridal suite. All meals were delivered to them in hopes that Karaliene was doing her due diligence by making heirs. She knew that Pirmais was young and she could not take advantage of him in that way. He was a bright child who asked her many questions about the history of Majas. Karaliene recounted the kings who came before Pirmais. She told him of the war that ravaged Majas when she was very young and how it led to the Elders being formed so that they could help make decisions with the King._ **

**_“I am going to be better than that when I rule, right Karaliene?” he questioned her._ **

**_She nodded and held him close. “Of course you are. Because you are hearing these stories. Stories that have not been told for thousands of years.”_ **

**_“Why?” Pirmais asked curiously._ **

**_“The Elders don’t like to think of the time before they were needed,” she said._ **

**_“Do you not like them?”_ **

**_She hesitated before answering. “They aren’t the nicest people to me,” she sighed. “But I’m here with you now, Young Husband. I am your wife and I love you so much,” she said kissing his forehead._ **

**_“I won’t let them hurt you again, Kara.”_ **

**_She smiled softly. “T-thank you, Pirmais.”_ **

**_He hugged her tightly. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise,” he replied._ **

**_Karaliene held him and felt something ominous in his words. She distracted herself by continuing to tell Pirmais of the history she lived through._ **

**_They were taken to their palace after seven days and Karaliene watched as tutors came to educate Pirmais. He was unlike any other child. He did not only want to know history, he wanted to know about the stars and the world beyond. She asked if she could join him in learning. When asked why, she explained that it would be beneficial for the future Queen to be educated on all he was learning. The tutors agreed and Karaliene would spend her days with her young husband learning about various subjects like astronomy to political science._ **

**_Pirmais enjoyed having Karaliene with him during his tutoring sessions. She was very attentive and took diligent notes. At night, he would ask her to go over her notes because he liked the way she took them. She wrote them in an almost story-like fashion. When he asked her why she took her notes that way, she told him it was the easiest way for her to remember that vast amount she was learning._ **

**_“I’ve never gotten to learn so much,” she smiled. “So I want to make sure that I don’t forget it.”_ **

**_“You’re going to be an amazing queen Kara,” he smiled at her._ **

**_“Only because you are going to be an amazing king,” she smiled, kissing his right cheek. His three eyes closed and she gently caressed his cheek after kissing it._ **

**_He looked at her and took her left hand in his right hand. “Promise me you won’t leave me,” Pirmais said._ **

**_“Young Husband, I would never dream of it,” she smiled as he hugged her. “I will be with you always,” she said kissing his head._ **

****

**_Until she was called to the temple and beaten by Elder Varna for not consummating her marriage._ **

**_“WHY DID YOU NOT DO THE ONE THING THAT YOU KNEW YOU NEEDED TO DO?!” Elder Varna screamed at her as she kicked Karaliene to the ground._ **

**_“He’s a child…” she coughed as she held her side to stop the stinging she felt from the kick she’d received._ **

**_“YOU HAVE A DUTY KARALIENE!” Elder Varna screamed at her and Elder Kukainis glared at her._ **

**_Duty. She looked at them and sneered. “You are mad if you think I would do that to a child. You can kill me now if you think I would ever do that to him until he is ready,” she said._ **

**_Karaliene knew that the Elders wanted her to be Pirmais’ wife because it was beneficial for THEM._ **

**_Elder Varna grabbed her by the hair._ **

**_“You must bear him a child,” Elder Varna said as she threw Karaliene on the ground. Varna dismissed her and Karaliene went back to her home, covered in a cloak to hide her shame._ **

**_When she got to her chambers she touched her side and saw the bruise begin to form. Thankfully, Pirmais was still young and she did not have to worry about undressing in front of him just yet. She could hide the bruise for now. She looked in the mirror and sighed. “One day, they will have no power over me anymore,” she said shaking._ **

**_Pirmas walked into their chambers and looked at Karaliene. She was shaking and sitting in front of the mirror._ **

**_“KARA!” he screamed as he ran to her._ **

**_She looked at him and hid her face. “Young Husband, what are you doing home?” she asked, pulling her robe tightly around her._ **

**_“What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked._ **

**_She shook her head. “No. I just don’t feel good,” she said._ **

**_“Let me help you up,” he said._ **

**_She chuckled. “Very well,” she said he helped her up. He took her hand and led her to their bed._ **

**_“Lay down,” he said. “I’ll get the physician,” he said as he left the room._ **

**_Karaliene rested her head on the pillows of their bed and sighed. “He’s too good to me.”_ **

****

**_Twenty years passed and Karaliene was preparing to finally consummate her marriage. She had told Pirmais that she would wait until he was ready. He’d told her that he was ready now and she was going to keep her word to him. She looked at the emerald ring on her finger and smiled. She ran her hand over her linen nightgown and sighed nervously. It was really going to happen tonight._ **

**_That morning she had gone off to the temple to help the children pick peonijas flowers. One of them made her a crown of flowers and the children called her “Queen Kara.” One brought a flute and asked if he could play her a song. She smiled and couldn’t refuse. The other children asked if they could join her and she said they were all to dance. The boy began to play his flute and Karaliene and the other children started to dance. She twirled and spun before she bumped into Pirmais._ **

**_“Pirmais…” she said nervously._ **

**_He smiled at her as he took her hand. “May I have this dance?” he asked._ **

**_“SAY YES!” cried the children._ **

**_She smiled as she blushed. “Of course, my love.”_ **

**_He danced with her in a field of flowers and he’d never seen her more happy or found her more beautiful than she was at this moment._ **

**_For the twenty years they had been married, they had never been intimate with one another. Yes he’s seen her naked when she would bathe and he often admired her when she would get dressed. She was beautiful, he wouldn’t deny that. She was shorter than he was, now that he had grown from a boy into a man. She had always blushed when he looked at her and often hid her body from his gaze. He wasn’t sure if she was hiding something from him or if it was because she was shy._ **

**_He admired her smile and spun her around. He admired how her long wavy blue hair flowed and he pulled her close for a kiss and whispered, “I want to make love to you tonight.”_ **

**_Karaliene blushed as she touched her lips recalling how soft and tender his kiss was._ **

**_“Karaliene, are you alright in there?” Pirmais asked. She’d been in the bathing room for almost 15 minutes. He was worried. Did he accidently frighten her? He looked around the room and hoped she would like what he did to it._ **

**_She put her robe on and stepped out of the bathing room. “Yes I am, Pirmais,” she smiled. She blushed as he saw he’d lit their room with only candles as he waited on the edge bed for her. She walked over to him, her red eyes fixated on his face._ **

**_She blushed red. “Pirmais, this is beautiful,” she said as she walked over to him. “If I’m being honest with you, I’ve never done this,” she admitted as she looked at him nervously._ **

**_“Nor have I, Karaliene,” he said as he stood up. He’d grown taller than her and he cupped her face in his hands._ **

**_“Pirmais, I hope I don’t disappoint you,” she said as he lifted her chin and kissed her._ **

**_“You have never done that,” he smiled as he gently removed her robe. It dropped to the floor and she stood before him in a thin white gown. “You look beautiful,” he said, as his fingers gently pulled her straps down. He kissed her softly. “Don’t hesitate to let me know if I’m making you uncomfortable,” he said._ **

**_“Okay…” Karaliene said as she let her insecurities melt away. She stood still as Pirmais undressed her and gently laid her down on the bed. His body came over hers and she looked at him._ **

**_“I love you, Pirmais,” she smiled gently. “I always have and always will.”_ **

**_He pressed his lips against hers as he gently caressed her body. She was smaller than he was and he could feel her trembling. He moved his lips to her neck, before moving down to her collar bone. She moaned and he smiled as he felt her arms wrap around his head. He chuckled and came back up to kiss her._ **

**_“Did you like that, Kara?”_ **

**_She blushed and smiled. “Yes.”_ **

**_He kissed her lips once more before he moved down her body, trailing kissing across her chest and down to her belly. He knew she was still nervous and a virgin like he was so he looked at her as he carefully eased her legs apart._ **

**_He heard her gasp. “Do you want me to stop?”_ **

**_“N-no...it’s all just….so new,” she admitted._ **

**_He smiled playfully. “Well, I hope it’s to your liking he said as he came up over her and kissed her softly, his hands caressing her sex._ **

**_She moaned into his kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck. His kiss was soft and gentle against her lips and she sighed as he touched her so intimately on her sex. She closed her mouth and he chuckled against her collar bone._ **

**_“Don’t be so shy, Kara. I want to hear you,” he said before taking her breast in his mouth._ **

**_She let out a pleasured scream and panted his name as her hands entwined in his long hair and she arched her back into him._ **

**_He eased himself into her sex and she gasped as he entered her slowly. She clutched at his back, her nails digging into his skin as his hips began to move. His fingers stroked her dark blue hair and he felt an electric sensation coursing through his body as he touched her._ **

**_She sighed happily. He was gentle towards her as he tenderly loved her. There was nothing in the world that mattered in this moment except him for her. She had a duty to provide him an heir. But more than anything, she wanted them to have a family._ **

**_He held her in his arms and she smiled. “Was it worth the wait?” she asked him._ **

**_“You were,” he said as he kissed her softly._ **

**_“Pirmais,” she blushed. “I’m so happy.”_ **

**_He held her close and she fell asleep in his arms. She was everything to him. She always had been._ **

****

**_“Do you have to leave me?” Karaliene asked as she sat up in bed, covering herself with their bedsheets._ **

**_“I must. This meeting with the city of Krasa is important. I want to expand our kingdom without going to war.”_ **

**_Karaliene smiled as she got up and put a robe around herself. “I always knew you would be an amazing leader,” she said._ **

**_He tied his sash across his waist and walked over to her, kissing her passionately. “I wish I could bring you with me.”_ **

**_“Once everything is settled and it’s safe for me to go with you, I will.”_ **

**_Pirmais didn’t want to leave her. The past few nights they had been inseparable. But duty called. He and his council had been planning this trip for what seemed like months. When he received word that morning, he knew he had to leave. Karaliene could not go because they had only secured positions for them to travel. She understood and praised him. She helped him with his travel belongings and placed a white peonija among his belongings._ **

**_“What’s this for?” he asked curiously._ **

**_“So you’ll always have me with you, even when I’m not there,” she said with a look of longing in her eyes._ **

**_“I will return in a few days. And then, I’m all yours once more,” he said as he kissed her._ **

**_“I know you are doing amazing things, Pirmais. So long as this is what you want, I will not hinder your success to be greater than your father or the kings who came before.”_ **

**_They walked to the caravan that was waiting for him and he held her tightly against him._ **

**_“Would you like me to bring you anything, my love?”_ **

**_Karaliene shook her head. “Only you and the safe return of everyone.”_ **

**_He said his good-byes and he and his council were off to the city of Krasa. He and his council discussed how they would propose expanding the borders of their kingdom in a way that would not be problematic for the people of Krasa. He knew they were peaceful people and had more magicians than Majas itself. He was curious about the magic they had. It was nothing like the scientific experiments he had done in Majas to clean water and create medicines. The next project was bettering the life of all his subjects with new technology. He was thankful for his wife, who always supported him and was more than willing to help him herself when others thought it was too risky. She was more than he deserved._ **

**_“We are arriving soon,” said one of his councilmen._ **

**_Much like Majas, Krasa was a city of ornate temples and towering pillars. They entered the city escorted by several guards in cerulean uniforms. When they reached the palace, he stepped out and bowed his head to the King of Krasa._ **

**_“Your Highness, an honor to be in your city.”_ **

**_“Welcome, Prince Pirmais. We have much to discuss,” said the King._ **

**_“Indeed we do,” Pirmais said as he waited for his council members to step down._ **

**_They were led into the palace and Pirmais remembered what Karaliene told him. “You must always be cordial and friendly. When the time is right, you will advance your plan and take over their city. You will win it, but not with war, but with protocol and peace.”_ **

**_He greeted the other advisors and he and his council took a seat. “Thank you for granting us entrance to your city,” Pirmais smiled. “What an honor to sit before you.”_ **

**_“You are an ambitious Prince,” said the King of Krasa. “You want to expand your kingdom without war?”_ **

**_“Such a thing is possible I believe if we can reach an agreement that when the line in the sand is drawn, it will be drawn and honored.”_ **

**_“You speak so boldly for one so young,” said the King of Krasa._ **

**_“If I am to be a great ruler, I will need to be bold while also understanding that others may not always share in my vision,” he said. “I admire Krasa and do not wish to take anything away from your kingdom.”_ **

**_“Is that so?” asked the King of Krasa._ **

**_“My intention is to expand both kingdoms so that your magicians may take advantage of the sacred sites surrounding Majas.”_ **

**_The King and his advisors looked at him. “How do you know of those sites?”_ **

**_“My wife, the future Queen, was a Priestess before she married me. She knows much about the ancient ways and I know she would be more than happy to see the magic your magicians possess to be used to better the life of the people.”_ **

**_“A Priestess for a Queen? I don’t think there has been one for almost 4 millenia…” said one of the advisors from Krasa._ **

**_“Princess Karaliene is an exceptional woman,” one of Pirmais’ councilmen stated. “She is a refined woman in her position. She is well educated on policy, customs, religions of the surrounding kingdoms and shares an interest in science along with Prince Pirmais.”_ **

**_“Are you a scientist?” asked the King of Krasa._ **

**_“I like to learn and explore new things,” Pirmais said. “One cannot grow complacent. I’ve helped develop a new way to clean our drinking water and I’ve helped develop new medicines to cure several ailments.”_ **

**_The advisors of Krasa looked at their King, impressed at the young Prince and the Princess who was not present._ **

**_“And what will we need to do in order to make an alliance with you?”_ **

**_Pirmais smiled. “Take a look at the plan my councilmen and I have come up with. It should prove satisfactory,” he said as he placed the drawn up map and treaty on the table._ **

**_“Please, enjoy my city while I go over this,” said the King._ **

**_“Thank you, Your Highness. We shall,” Pirmais said. He asked his councilmen to rise and they were escorted out of the meeting room and to the common area._ **

**_“Prince Pirmais, that went well,” said one of his councilmen._ **

**_“Yes. I’m thankful we were able to meet so diplomatically,” Pirmais smiled. “Hopefully, the treaty will be enough to convince them.”_ **

**_A woman approached them. Pirmais stared at the tall woman with short black hair and striking blue eyes. She bowed her head and walked past them._ **

**_“My Prince, do not forget that your wife is at home,” cautioned the councilman at his side._ **

**_“Karaliene is my world. I would never betray her by seeking comfort with another woman,” he said. He loved Karaliene more than anything. Yes, the woman was beautiful, but she was nothing like Karaliene. The women of the palace surely knew he was a prince, but Karaliene was never put off by his appearance like many women were._ **

**_“Your Highness,” said a man who approached him in a navy blue cloak. “I am the Head Magician, Anerai. A pleasure to meet you,” he said as he bowed to Pirmais._ **

**_“An honor to meet you,” Pirmais said, returning his welcome by nodding his head. “I am fascinated by the subject of magic.”_ **

**_“Are you?”_ **

**_“As someone who does not have any, I often wonder how it is gained.”_ **

**_“Well, most Magicians are born with magic. There are others who gain it by undesired means,” he said._ **

**_“Undesired?”_ **

**_“There are rumors that there is a Dark Magician who grants power but at the cost of something priceless,” said Anerai._ **

**_Pirmais was intrigued. “Tell me, as a scientist myself, would you allow me to study your magic?” he asked._ **

**_“Of course,” Anerai said._ **

**_Pirmais followed him to what was called a Spell Nook. There, Anerai performed several of his magical qualities like transforming items from one thing to another and even seeing magic restore the life of a simple plant._ **

**_“How does one disrupt magic?” he asked._ **

**_“It can depend on the magician. Magic is not a shoe that fits all. It manifests differently for some. There’s stories in our history about magicians who could stop time, raise crops, and even see the future.”_ **

**_“My wife is a psychic. She has glimpses of the future in dreams.”_ **

**_“Most psychics have a small amount of magic gifted to them. They are usually the child of a magician of some sorts. Do you know her parents?”_ **

**_Pirmais shook his head. “My wife was raised in the temples of Majas. I’m not sure who her parents are,” he said. He’d never admitted that he didn’t know who Karaliene’s parents were and how he had never asked her about them. Then again...she never talked about them._ **

**_“I do know that certain gems can alter magic. Your kingdom is known for its emeralds, correct?” Anerai asked him._ **

**_“Yes. We are,” Pirmais replied._ **

**_“With a gifted magician, they might be able to place a disruption spell on it to hinder magic. That’s all just a theory though. I’ve never seen it actually done.”_ **

**_“It must never have been needed,” Pirmais smiled. “Which speaks highly of how well you must all be with one another.”_ **

**_“Indeed. Magic is powerful, but we must never abuse our gifts. There are always consequences for the actions we take,” Anerai said solemnly._ **

**_“There’s rumors of a Dark Magician-” Pirmais said._ **

**_“I wouldn’t speak of him, Your Highness. He’s done nothing but destroy anyone who has ever come across his path. He’s not someone who will help you,” he warned._ **

**_Pirmais was intrigued but said nothing._ **

**_“Prince Pirmais, you’re needed in the meeting room.”_ **

**_He was surprised they’d read it so soon to make a decision. He and his advisors headed back to the meeting room._ **

**_“This is so surprising that you and your advisors came up with something that would benefit both kingdoms,” the King of Krasa said. “We are willing to accept the terms of your treaty once we send your kingdom our revisions.”_ **

**_“I’m pleased to hear you thought our treaty was well written. However, I do insist that you let us know what the revisions are. It’s no rush that we return to Majas.”_ **

**_“And your wife?” asked the King._ **

**_“I assure you, my wife Karaliene is more than understanding. She would have come with me, but we were only allowed so many people,” he said. “If possible, we can come to terms and then I will happily bring her with me the next time I come to visit.”_ **

**_“Well, then take a seat, this may take a while.”_ **

**_“Can you please send one of the maids for wine and food.”_ **

**_“Right away, Your Highness,” said one of his advisors, getting up and leaving the room._ **

**_“Now then, what revisions did you have in mind?” Pirmais said sitting down._ **

**_“We are concerned that this expansion might hurt our wildlife. Will the animals still be protected if they head into your domain?”_ **

**_A trivial matter to Pirmais, but obviously it merited concern from the King. “Well, we would need to know what animals they are. But we don’t have anyone who currently resides outside the city. The idea that these animals would be harmed is confusing because we breed all our animals in Majas. Any animals that are not bred are not recommended for consumption. So the animals of your kingdom should be safe, but we can add the clause if it would make you feel more at ease.”_ **

**_“Pardon the intrusion, Your Highnesses,” said the woman with the short black hair from earlier. “Here are your refreshments,” she said as she poured Pirmais a glass of wine before she did the same for the other men in the room. “Enjoy,” she said as she walked out of the room._ **

**_“If we could ensure the safety of our animals and natural resources, we will gladly sign these papers and could be on your way back to your lovely wife,” the King said._ **

**_“If that’s the case, surely my councilmen can take care of these matters,” Pirmais said._ **

**_“We can handle this matter, Your Highness. You may go ahead and head back to Majas.”_ **

**_“Allow my guards to escort you,” said the King._ **

**_“I appreciate the gesture, but I would like my guards to take me on zirgbsack. I’d love to see this land that you love so much for myself as I did not see it from our caravan,” Pirmais said._ **

**_“Very well.”_ **

**_Pirmais’ guards rose and excused themselves to ready their zirgs’. Pirmais stepped out of the room and noticed the woman from earlier._ **

**_“Forgive me, Your Highness,” she said bowing to him. “I heard you were curious about magic.”_ **

**_Pirmais rose his brow at her. “And how did you hear this?”_ **

**_“I understand that Magicians are scarce and few in your kingdom. While Anerai is a gifted Magician, I understand he gave you misinformation about the Dark Magician.”_ **

**_Pirmais looked at her curiously. “You heard us?”_ **

**_“The Dark Magician is a friend of mine,” she smiled. “He’s nothing like Anerai described. If you’d like to meet him, I can show you where he is.”_ **

**_Pirmais’ curiosity got the better of him. “Lead the way, Miss.”_ **

**_“Sunaka,” she said. “My name is Sunaka, Your Highness. And yours?”_ **

**_“Pirmais. Prince Pirmais,” he replied._ **

**_“This way,” she said, leading him down a corridor to a pair of zirgs outside._ **

**_He watched as Sunaka mounted her beast and he followed suit. “And my guards?” he asked._ **

**_“I will ensure they know where we are headed, rest assured, Prince Pirmais. Follow me,” she exclaimed as she whipped the reigns and the beast lurched forward, running off. His own beast followed the other and he was led through the desert into the surrounding jungle vegetation._ **

**_Amongst the tall reeds and thin grasses, there was a small hut hidden that Pirmais saw with his four eyes before Sunaka told him where it was._ **

**_“We are here,” she said, halting her zirgs. “Tumsais Barvis, it’s Sunaka. I’ve brought a friend,” she cried out as she dismounted._ **

**_From the hut, appeared a man who was cloaked from head to toe. Pirmais could not see his face, but noticed from his hands that he was an older man._ **

**_“The Prince of Majas at my doorstep. To what do I owe this honor?” he asked, bowing his head._ **

**_“I’m told you're a Magician,” Pirmais replied, as he came off his beast and walked over to the man who was dressed in brown robes. His face was hidden beneath a hood._ **

**_“Magician? I can assure you I can do more than simply perform magic tricks. I can see into the future and I can also do what no Magician in Krasa or anywhere in the world can do.”_ **

**_“And what is that?” Pirmais asked._ **

**_“I understand you seek power. Power to not only gain territory, but to conquer this world for your own.”_ **

**_Pirmais’ eyes widened. “You...could grant me power?”_ **

**_“Of course,” Tumsais Barvis replied. “I just need to ask one thing of you, young Prince. And you will have it.”_ **

**_“And what is that?” Pirmais asked curiously._ **

**_“To gain what you seek, you must lose what you love,” he said._ **

**_“And what does that entail? Will I lose my kingdom?”_ **

**_“I know I will grant you power but I do not know in your heart what the thing you love most is. Is your ambition greater than your fear, Prince Pirmais?”_ **

**_Pirmais looked at the magician who held his hand out to him. “Indeed. It is,” he said, taking his hand._ **

**_“Good,” Tumsais Barvis smirked as dark strands of magic, like serpents surrounded Pirmais. “Piešķiriet spēku šim cilvēkam iekarot visu, ko viņš vēlas. Ņemiet no viņa to, ko viņš mīl, kā samaksu par viņa alkatību.”_ **

**_Pirmais’ eyes widened and he screamed as the serpents surrounded him, hissing and entering through his mouth. When the last of them entered, he fell to the floor in a thud._ **

**_“Sunaka, you will take him outside and say you found him collapsed. Stay with him, and you will become his Queen soon enough.”_ **

**_“I thank you for your assistance, Tumsais,” she smiled as she watched Tumsais use his magic to move the body. “And when I am Queen, you will have domain over all magic. Light and dark,” she smirked. “Hide yourself. You will be needed at a later date,” she said._ **

**_“I await your call, Sunaka,” Tumsais Barvis said as he used his magic to vanish._ **

**_When the body was moved outside she covered him in sand and dirt and heard the approaching sounds of his guards._ **

**_“HELP!! HELP PLEASE!! THE PRINCE HAS FALLEN!” she cried out._ **

****

**_Karaliene walked from the city of Majas into the outskirts. She needed to talk to her mother, Diamantis. She was smiling. She was with child. She touched her belly and could not stop imagining the child she would soon give birth to. She wanted a son more than anything. She could not wait to give him the life and love she did not have growing up thanks to the Elders snatching her away from her mother and using her for her gift. She approached the jungle vegetation and she wrapped her shawl over her. This was familiar as she had grown up just outside of the kingdom. She smiled when she saw her mother outside feeding a wild boar._ **

**_“Mother!” she cried out._ **

**_Diamantis looked over and smiled softly. “Karaliene...you came to see me?”_ **

**_Karaliene approached slowly, so as to not frighten the wild boar. “Yes, I’m sorry I haven't visited,” she said._ **

**_“You’ve been busy,” her mother said. “Getting married. Consummating your marriage?” she asked as she stood up and watched the boar trot back into the jungle. Diamantis walked over to her daughter._ **

**_Her mother was also a psychic and there was nothing Karaliene could hide from her._ **

**_“Yes. I did consummate my marriage.”_ **

**_“Only took twenty years...I thought he would have wanted it sooner,” Diamantis chuckled. “Most men don’t wait.”_ **

**_“Pirmais is not like other men,” she said defensively._ **

**_“No he’s not. Does he know what you are?”_ **

**_“He knows of my psychic abilities, yes. I am the one who saved him from death when he took his first breath,” she said looking at her._ **

**_“I meant the mental issues you have,” Diamantis replied as she looked at her daughter._ **

**_Karaliene shook her head. “I don’t have those thoughts when he’s around me,” she said as she touched her stomach and took a deep breath. Her mother touched her cheek._ **

**_“And now you are with child,” she said smiling sadly._ **

**_“Yes, Mother. Only you and I know this.”_ **

**_“You did not tell him?” she asked curiously._ **

**_“If I tell him, there is no doubt the Elders will learn of it and try to interfere. I don’t want them to take my son from me,” she said shaking as tears silently streamed down._ **

**_Diamantis hugged her daughter. “Oh Karaliene. We’ve always been the ones to sacrifice what we hold dear. The Elders...they seek power. They seek protection. That’s why they are afraid of us. They are afraid of what OUR dynasty...OUR blood can do.”_ **

**_Karaliene looked at her mother. “What are you saying?”_ **

**_“They want the longevity your father cursed us with. Do not let them know you’re with child or they will take the child from you like they did all those years ago with you,” she said._ **

**_Karaliene felt panic. How could she hide this from them? “Will you come back to Majas with me? Until I give birth at least. It should only be a few more weeks,” she said pleading._ **

**_Diamantis looked at her. “I will come later. When the sun goes down,” she said. “I cannot risk the Elders seeing me,” she said._ **

**_Karaliene hugged her mother. “Thank you,” she cried._ **

**_Diamantis hugged her and stroked her dark blue hair. “Go now. Your husband will worry if he returns home and you are not there,” she said._ **

**_Karaliene nodded and walked back to Majas. She felt relieved. The past few days had been weighing on her as she hid her pregnancy from her husband. She could not risk telling him just yet. Her mother would be able to help her bring the child into the world._ **

**_Karaliene was called to the Temple of Rulers. Pirmais had not yet returned from his diplomatic visit in a nearby city of Krasa with his councilmen. She walked in nervously. She had confined herself to their small palace and did not venture out the last few days. She was greeted with a slap to the face by Elder Varna._ **

**_“How is it that you have been confined to your palace with the Prince and still you have NOT consummated your marriage?” Elder Varna hissed as she slapped Karaliene once more. “THIS IS YOUR DUTY!”_ **

**_Karaliene was surprised Pirmais had told no one that they had not only consummated their marriage but had been passionate for several nights. She held her stinging cheek and looked at Varna._ **

**_“This is your oath Karaliene...You better get to work on that before we give him another wife.”_ **

**_Karaliene’s eyes narrowed and she did what she only dreamed of doing: she slapped Elder Varna with everything she had._ **

**_“How...dare you? I am to be his QUEEN! Just like you wanted. And above all else, I AM HIS ONLY LOVE! I AM THE ONE HE CHOSE!” She composed herself. “Wait until he hears how I was greeted by you today. You will be lucky to breathe and see another day,” she said walking out and heading back to her palace to see Pirmais arriving at their home with another woman. She touched her stomach and walked into the palace._ **

**_“Take her to the library,” she said to a guard as she pointed to the woman. The guard nodded. “Take His Highness to our chamber and get the physicians,” she commanded as she watched them take her husband to their chambers. She asked the guard of the caravan what happened and he told her all he knew._ **

**_The guards did as she asked and brought the woman who had pale skin to the library._ **

**_Karaliene looked at her. She was lovely. She was taller than she was with short black hair and striking blue eyes. She did not know why she felt threatened by this woman but something in her told her that this woman was NOT to be trusted. She watched as the woman looked around the library before stepping out._ **

**_“I’m told you’re the woman who found my husband?” she asked sternly._ **

**_The woman nodded. “Yes, I did. My name is Sunaka. I am from the city of Krasa where he went to visit.”_ **

**_If he was visiting the city there was no reason for her to have found him out in the desert as the report from the guard stated. “Where did you find him?” Karaliene asked._ **

**_The woman bowed her head. “In the desert, Milady. He was hurt when I found him, I brought him to health-”_ **

**_Karaliene looked at her and snapped. “No. YOU BROUGHT HIM BACK TO ME. Do not forget he is a married man.”_ **

**_“Of course. I don’t mean to offend,” Sunaka said as she stepped back._ **

**_“Guards, please see Sunaka to the guest house,” Karaliene said, composing herself. “Excuse me,” she said walking to the room Pirmais was taken to._ **

**_“He’s resting now. It may be awhile before he awakens,” the physician said._ **

**_Karaliene nodded. “Thank you. I just want to wait for him to open his eyes,” she said. The physician left the room and she touched his head. She felt a darkness consume her and removed her hand and looked at her husband._ **

**_“What did you do?” she whispered. She rushed to the bathing room and threw purification salts into the bath and drew hot water. She didn’t bother to remove her clothes and simply got in. She chanted an incantation for protection against evil._ **

**_She submerged herself for several moments before she drew breath and stepped out. She removed her soaked clothing and wrapped herself in a towel and placed a robe over her shoulders. She went to lay next to her husband. She wrapped her arms around him._ **

**_“I’m here, Pirmais… I’m here,” she said as she kissed his neck._ **

**_“My Lady, there is a woman here to see you,” called a voice from the other side of the door._ **

**_Karaliene got up and walked to the door. “Who is this woman?” she asked. If it was the woman from earlier she had nothing to say to her._ **

**_“This woman claims to be your mother…”_ **

**_Her mother finally came. “Please tell her I will be with her shortly. Escort her to my private chamber,” she said as she looked at her husband. “I will return shortly,” she smiled as she tenderly kissed his forehead. She stepped out of their shared room and walked to her private chamber._ **

**_“Mother,” she smiled as she saw Diamantis._ **

**_“Karaliene,” she said, hugging her. Her red eyes widened as she felt a darkness surrounding her daughter. She looked at her. “Karaliene...something evil has found you.”_ **

**_“I-impossible. No. No, it can’t be. I purfied myself.”_ **

**_“Karaliene it did not leave you,” her mother said horrified._ **

**_Karaliene panicked and ran into her bathing room. She again turned on the hot water and threw in the purification salts she had. She submerged herself and recited the protection incantation. But it was in vain. She opened her eyes and saw the water turn red. “No, no, no, no, no! He cannot be dead” she screamed as she felt something pass from her body and began trembling._ **

**_“NOOO! MY CHILD! MY SON!” she cried, tears streaming down her face as she held the lifeless body of her son. She sunk in the bath and cried. How could this happen? She let out a pained scream as she cried._ **

**_Diamantas ran in and gasped as she grabbed a towel and took the lifeless infant from her daughter. She had felt this darkness once before._ **

**_A knock on the door startled them. “PRINCESS KARALIENE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! I HEARD A SCREAM!” called an attendant._ **

**_“I JUST FELL PLEASE DON’T WORRY,” she lied._ **

**_“Oh Princess, no need to apologize. I’ve set your night clothes out for you.”_ **

**_“Thank you...” she said almost lifelessly as she looked at her mother. “What do I do?” she whispered._ **

**_Diamantis wanted to coddle her. But if she did that, Karaliene would never be able to tell Pirmais about this. “Karaliene, you are going to get up and you find out what caused this,” Diamantis said, pulling the water plug and letting the deep red water drain. She had to act quickly. She took the infant in her arms, wrapped him in a towel, and then placed him on the counter. She then helped Karaliene wash herself down quickly. She had found a loose tile and placed the small lifeless child inside. “I’ll give him a proper burial momentarily,” she said._ **

**_Karaliene was shaking still from the shock. “Mother, I’m sorry...I-I need to be with my husband,” she said, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Her red eyes bloodshot and pained._ **

**_Diamantis nodded. “It’s alright. I will take you to him,” she said as she wrapped a heavier and warmer robe over her daughter’s shoulders. She helped Karaliene walk to the shared chamber where Pirmais was._ **

**_Karaliene walked in and went to lie down with her husband. She rested her head on his chest. “I lost him, my love. I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she cried. “Can you ever forgive me?”_ **

**_Diamantis walked back to the bathing room and picked up the small infant. She grabbed another linen and gently removed the towel so she could wrap the infant once more in a fresh linen._ **

**_“So she was right...you were a son.” She had tears in her eyes and held the infant close. “I’m so sorry you were not able to meet your mother. She is the most loving person in this cold and dark place.” She walked into the room holding the child. She needed to find somewhere to place him so that she could bury him properly._ **

****

**_The next morning, Pirmais awoke to a feverish Karaliene on top of him._ **

**_“Karaliene?” he said as he held her. She was covered in sweat and breathing harshly. He called for a physician who wrote it off as a fever from going into the jungle. Why had she gone into the desert? He wiped her down and removed her robe, laying her in bed naked and covering her with a sheet. “I’m here Karaliene,” he said stroking her cheek. “I’m not leaving you again.”_ **

**_Pirmais asked for all his meetings to be taken in their room so he could watch over his ill wife._ **

**_The Elders were the first to come and visit him. They asked him where he had gone as the councilmen told them he had gone off before them._ **

**_“I was curious about this magic. I was told of a magician who lives in the desert and I went to ask questions as well as inquire about gaining magic myself.”_ **

**_“What was the name of this magician, my Prince?” asked Elder Kukainis._ **

**_“Tumsais Barvis,” Pirmais said._ **

**_Karaliene heard that name and felt her heart begin to race. That man was the reason she was as old as she was. And if Pirmais went to see him...he was the reason her child had died._ **

**_“Is that wise, Prince Pirmais? Consulting magicians without our approval-”_ **

**_“My wife has lived by your rules her entire life and has been miserable because of it. I don’t need your approval to do as I wish. Besides,” he said looking at Karaliene. “Soon there will be no need for you to exist,” he smirked._ **

**_The Elders looked at him. “Well, if she doesn’t produce you an heir, she will need to be replaced with someone who can,” Elder Varna stated._ **

**_“She is MY wife. She will be MY QUEEN because SHE’S the one I married,” he hissed, his long hair gaining life and moving about._ **

**_The Elders stepped back in fear._ **

**_“Get out of my sight. I need to be with my wife,” he said holding her hand._ **

**_The Elders walked out of the room and Karaliene opened her eyes. Her red eyes were still bloodshot and pained._ **

**_“What did you do?” she asked, her voice cracking._ **

**_“I was protecting us,” he said, kissing her hand._ **

**_She swiped it away and sat up. “Protecting us?” she hissed._ **

**_“Kara, I need magic. I need power. How am I going to take the throne without it?”_ **

**_“So this was for power? You went to that man for power?”_ **

**_“Why is that a problem?”_ **

**_She couldn’t tell him...not yet. “Darling, that man is the reason I’ve been alive for so long. It was made at the expense of my father’s life. I just don’t think this is the best way to gain power.”_ **

**_He kissed her as he crawled over her. “I’m doing this for us,” he said, caressing her dark blue hair._ **

**_She said nothing and gave in to his sweet words and gentle touch. She needed to feel comfort from the pain her heart was in. But for now, she would let her husband make love to her as if nothing was wrong. Maybe if they tried again...she would be able to have another and he would never have to know of the first loss._ **

**_After they made love, Karaliene gently touched Pirmais’ face. She lay limp in bed and looked at him. “Can you call for my mother?”_ **

**_“Your mother?” he asked shocked._ **

**_“She came from the desert to be with me,” she said. “Can you ask her to come here?” she asked. “Please.”_ **

**_“Of course,” Pirmais said. “Where is she?” he asked._ **

**_“She should be in my private chamber,” she replied._ **

**_“I’ll return shortly,” he said. He headed to Karaliene’s private chamber and saw a woman sitting on her bed, reading one of the books she had in her private library._ **

**_“Pirmais, I presume,” she said as she put the book down. “I’m Diamantis. A pleasure to meet you,” she said as she got up and walked over to him. “Does my daughter need me?” she asked._ **

**_“Are you a psychic?” he asked._ **

**_“Yes. A far stronger one than Karaliene,” she said. “Though, my gifts have not been as used as my daughters for she was taken from me as a child, thanks to your Elders.”  
“I did not know that they took her from you,” Pirmais said sadly._ **

**_“She doesn’t like talking about it,” she said as she stepped out of the room. “It was a painful memory to say the least for the both of us. But the past is the past,” she sighed._ **

**_“I’m going to give her a wonderful future,” Pirmais said smiling at her._ **

**_“Are you now?” she asked, raising a brow at him. Her face was stoic as a stone._ **

**_“Yes I am,” he said proudly as he led her to their shared chamber. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”_ **

**_Diamantis walked into the room and looked at her daughter. Karaliene’s red eyes said it all. She was losing her sanity. Diamantis rushed over to her._ **

**_“Karaliene…”_ **

**_“He cannot be dead...”_ **

**_“Who Karaliene?”_ **

**_“My son...We were going to be so happy together. Did he truly die?” she asked, her voice breaking._ **

**_Diamantis nodded sadly. “Yes..he is dead. But this is not your fault,” she said trying to comfort her daughter. “It happens sometimes.”_ **

**_Karaliene’s eyes became angry and she clutched onto her mother. “He went to see Tumsais…”_ **

**_Diamantis’ eyes widened. “What?”_ **

**_Karaliene began to cry. “He said he did it for power,” she sobbed. She touched her stomach and grew angry. “AND FOR WHAT? HE HAS SACRIFICED WHAT!? NOTHING! HE CONTINUES TO GAIN WHILE I CONTINUE BLEED! I WILL BLEED TO DEATH BECAUSE OF HIM!”_ **

**_“You're still bleeding?” Diamantis asked, concerned._ **

**_“It hasn’t stopped. It comes and goes but it's constant. What can I do?”_ **

**_“You have to tell him,” Diamantis said._ **

**_“No. Anything but that,” she cried wiping her eyes._ **

**_“Karaliene, this is because of whatever Tumsais did. You need to let him know.”_ **

**_“For what? He’s getting his crown. He’s getting his kingdom. And what do I have? Nothing.”_ **

**_Diamantis held her. “You have me. You always will,” she said. “But you need to tell him.”_ **

**_Karaliene cried in her mother's arms. Her sanity was unraveling. Pirmais had gone off to conquer the kingdom of Krasa. It had all been a ruse. And that woman...that woman was his ally in this. She let go of her mother. “Can you make me something for the pain?” she asked._ **

**_Diamantis nodded as she got up and went to get herbs from Karaliene’s garden._ **

**_Karaliene went to her bathing room and drew a bath. She would wash off the blood between her legs and dress herself like the Queen she would one day be to see her husband._ **

**_“This will deter the pain for a few hours,” Diamantis said as she walked in and saw Karaliene dressing herself in an emerald gown with golden jewels._ **

**_“Thank you,” Karaliene said as she took it and drank it quickly._ **

**_Diamantis knew that something terrible was going to happen but said nothing. This was a lesson she would ensure Pirmais would learn._ **

****

**_Karaliene walked into the throne room and dismissed all who were there._ **

**_“Young Husband, I have hardly seen you since your conquest,” she said as she approached him._ **

**_He walked towards her from his throne. She was dressed in an elaborate emerald gown that illustrated her figure to him and enticed his imagination._ **

**_“Is this not what we have always wanted, Kara?” he said as he opened his arms to hold her._ **

**_She came into his arms and cried._ **

**_“Karaliene, what’s wrong?” he asked._ **

**_“Did I betray you?” she asked in a whisper._ **

**_“What are you saying?” he asked as he held her face and looked at her._ **

**_“What did the Dark Magician ask in exchange for your power?”_ **

**_“Kara…”_ **

**_“Tell me…” she said. “Please. I need to know.”_ **

**_“He asked me for gold.”_ **

**_Karaliene slapped him. “LIES! TELL ME WHAT HE ASKED FOR PIRMAIS!”_ **

**_Pirmas grabbed her hand and she screamed as he held her._ **

**_“This OUR kingdom, not just YOURS,” she hissed. “You would never have come into power if I did not save your life,” she said angrily._ **

**_Pirmais had never heard her speak to him that way and he pushed her up against the wall._ **

**_“How dare you…”_ **

**_“IF YOU’RE GOING TO PUNISH ME, THEN PUNISH ME!” she screamed._ **

**_He was overcome with conflicting emotions and was about to take her there against the wall of his throne room until he felt something wet against him. He looked down and saw the obscene amount of blood she was spilling._ **

**_“Karaliene...you’re bleeding.”_ **

**_She smirked before she laughed maniacally. “I’ve been bleeding...ever since you spoke with the Dark Magician. You did this to me,” she cried as she maintained that smirk on her face. “You did this to me, my love.”_ **

**_He shook from fear for once in his life and Karaliene’s body fell on his shoulder._ **

**_“It’s so cold in here,” she said weakly. “Why is it so cold, Pirmais?”_ **

**_He wrapped his cloak around her and carried her to their room. The actions of his consequences catching up to him._ **

**_“Karaliene…I’m so sorry,” he cried as he fell to the floor holding her hand._ **

**_She looked at him. “You did this and you have to live with knowing you did.”_ **

**_He was desperate. He called for Diamantis._ **

**_Diamantis came into the room and was greeted by Pirmais who told her that Karaliene was unwell._ **

**_She sighed as she looked at him. “She’s not unwell, Pirmais. She’s dying. You know that don’t you?” she asked him._ **

**_“I can’t lose her. I love her…” Pirmais cried._ **

**_“When has that ever mattered?” Diamantis asked. “If you loved her you never would have given up her life for power. You made your choice and because of this, I again suffer another loss. First my husband, then my grandchild, and now my daughter.”_ **

**_“Grandchild?” Pirmais asked._ **

**_Diamantis nodded. “Yes. She never told you but the day you were brought back from Krasa, she came to see me to tell me she was with child. She was so excited and so happy._ **

**_That was also the day you went to see that man. You returned with a darkness in you. Karaliene touched you and it overtook her. It killed your son and now it is slowly killing her.”_ **

**_“Y-you’re lying...”_ **

**_“I have no reason to lie to you. But since you’re here, I have something for you,” she smiled. She pulled an egg out from her sleeve. “I was saving this for a special day. And it looks like that’s today. Since your lust for power was greater than your love for my daughter and your unborn son, I will grant you the knowledge you seek to gain control of all you desire along with the tools to build the empire of your imagination. But you will never accomplish your goal. It will always be out of your reach.”_ **

**_Pirmais looked at her. “Diamantis, please. I didn’t know that-”_ **

**_“DON’T YOU DARE SAY YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN! You might as well have killed Karaliene and the baby yourself,” she said venomously._ **

**_“THAT’S NOT TRUE!!” he said, approaching her. “YOU CAN SAVE HER, PLEASE SAVE HER!!”_ **

**_“Never. She’s finally from all the pain and hurt that your kingdom has brought on her. You will never save Karaliene from this. You will never hold her or touch her again. You will suffer defeat at the hand of a woman and you will never be the leader Karaliene told you would be,” she said, crushing the egg as a dark smoke oozed out of it and surrounded him and Karaliene._ **

**_The smoke caused him to panic as he turned to Karaliene who’s breathing was getting weaker. Suddenly, he knew what to do to keep her alive. The tools he needed were suddenly available to him...just Diamantis said. He worked throughout the night to create a cryogenic chamber and put her into a deep sleep. He removed her ring and her crown. Before he sealed it, he took her blood samples. He could use this to create a clone of her. He knew this would buy him some time until he could find a cure. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled some. “Will you stay with me till the end?”_ **

**_He pressed a kiss on her lips before he sealed her in the glass. He cried knowing he could never hold her or touch her again. The glass became cold once it sealed and he rested his head against the glass and closed his eyes._ **

**_Karaliene used her last bit of strength to cut her finger and draw a blood seal on the glass._ **

**_“Good-bye my love,” she whispered._ **


	17. Deals in Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelia and Horde Prime are both faced with new truths that neither expected.

Zelia screamed and Horde Prime pulled his arm away from her. He could not endure what he just saw...that Karaliene wanted him to let her die.  
She tried to move her hand but something pulled her other hand to the glass. She gasped as more memories flooded her mind and screamed as she was pulled into an abyss similar to the one Celestia had.

_“My apologies for this, Zelia. But I need to speak to you.”_

_“Karaliene?”_ she asked as she stared at the woman who had been the love of Horde Prime’s life.

_“Yes I am. And I apologize for hurting you but I am begging you, please protect my son from Pirmais.”_

_“Your son...? Is Hordak your son?”_

_“Yes,”_ she said, her red eyes filled with tears. _“Pirmais was told the child is why I died and that’s why he hates him so. But he has always been loved by me, even now. I beg you to protect him so he can find the happiness I could not give him.”_

Zelia looked at her. _“He’s sick. Unlike the other clones, he has something wrong with him.”_

 _“Yes. That is the curse of the darkness that took hold of me,”_ she replied.

_“And what is that?”_

_“I have never known kindness like the kind you have shown the clones and the girls who are being held captive. My life after I was cursed was nothing but darkness. No hope and constant abuse before Pirmais made me his wife. For a short time I was happy…”_

Zelia looked down, her eyes closing to hold back her tears. _“I saw...I’m sorry for what happened to you.”_

Karaliene smiled at her. _“I knew it was going to happen. I saw it in a vision. I knew I would not live long if I became his wife.”_

 _“And you still did it?”_ Zelia asked looking at her.

 _“He was a child who knew nothing. I thought I could change him into someone who would choose love over power...”_ Karaliene said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

 _“I’m sorry he didn’t,”_ Zelia cried. The feeling of betrayal was all too familiar to her.

_“It is not your fault. But please, that darkness will only keep its hold on Hordak and will destroy him if Pirmais continues to live. I beg you to kill my husband and save my son. Your shackles will no longer hinder your power so that you can do this, Zelia. Please, save my son.”_

Zelia fell to the floor, completely drained. She was breathing heavily. 

Horde Prime composed himself and picked her up gently and laid her on the bed. Her boots went to her knees. Thankfully the dress opened in the front so he could move the fabric to remove her boots without disturbing her. What did Karaliene do to her? He looked at his right forearm. Zelia had held him so tightly he was bleeding. His green blood was evident but thankfully not too runny. He hoped it wouldn’t leave a scar. He unzipped the boot on her right leg first and placed it on the floor before removing the left boot. 

_Beloved...BELOVED! Are you all right?!_  
Sevgi’s voice...Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Horde Prime over her. Her eyes widened and moved away from him, shaking.

“You fell. I just laid you down and removed your boots. Nothing else, Zelia.”

She looked at him, her breathing ragged. “Sunaka isn’t your first wife. Karaliene is.”

He seemed to be hurt by her stating this obvious fact. “Karaliene _was_ my wife. But she would rather be sealed in a vitrine than rule by my side,” he said looking at Zelia.

“Can you blame her? You traded your wife for power…” she said. “You wanted to rule so badly that you went to someone who used her life to give you this,” she said motioning to his room. 

“I didn’t think she would get sick…” he said, his voice filled with guilt and she could see he was shaking some.

“What exactly did the magician tell you?” She knew what he had said, she just wanted to hear Horde Prime say it out loud.

“He said _‘To gain what you seek, you must lose what you love’_ ,” he said.

Zelia looked at the door where Karaliene was hidden behind and then at Horde Prime. “You know that she’s dying. Why are you keeping her alive?”

Horde Prime looked at her. “I want you to heal her.”  
Zelia shook her head. “I can’t do that. That spell is far older than I am and I’m not sure even if with my shackles removed that I’ll be strong enough to remove it.”

“Then make the celestial being do it,” he said through gritted teeth as he looked at her.

“You are mad,” she said boldly. “As if she would help you after you kept her trapped all these years.”

“I need my wife…”

“You need her?” she asked condescendingly. “You have 12 wives now. You gave Sunaka HER WEDDING RING! If you truly loved her, you wouldn’t have taken another,” she said angrily.

He wanted to hit her for her insolence but smirked at Zelia. “Even though I did it all for her?”

Zelia’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t understand how any of this was for her.”

“You saw the memories. She wanted more for me. But what she wanted was for us to be happy. And when her mother cursed me with knowledge, I no longer wanted happiness with her. But I could find a way to heal her.”

“Heal her? The price of your greed was her life and that of your unborn child,” she said.

Suddenly, his demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed and he looked at her like she was helpless. He moved closer to her.

Zelia’s eyes widened and he crawled over her. She was almost paralyzed by fear as he looked at her.  
“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I wasn’t lying when I said you are an exquisite beauty. I would much rather make you my bride than Glimmer,” he said, his hand sliding up her stomach and over her breast as he cupped her chin in his hand.

She was shaking. Why couldn’t she move her arms? 

“So it’s working…about time.”

Her eyes widened. He drugged her? “What did you do to me?” she asked.

“Nothing permanent. Just something to numb you from struggling. You see, I was curious as to why you were so close to your clone. You do realize he’s made by me to serve me. He’s an extension of me and yet you chose him to help you up.”

“And you're jealous?” she asked as she held back a laugh. 

She could not show fear now. She had to regain the upper hand. She reached out to Sevgi telepathically.

_Sevgi...Please DON’T panic. Don’t get angry. I have to let him do this to me. If I don’t, he’s going to hurt you and I won’t let that happen._

“Oh Horde Prime,” she chuckled. “You misread the entire thing,” she said, exhaling. “I’m only close to him because he’s the only person I’ve spoken to for almost ten years. Even you must admit, you’ve been rather busy with your galactic conquest to pay any attention to me. He’s just some clone,” she said; the lie stinging her heart. “He’s nothing like you.”

“Is that so?” he said lifting her chin gently. 

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. He wanted to have sex with her. She had to be submissive and let him think it was going to happen. “I’ve been saving myself for you,” she lied. “Countless nights I wondered what our first time would be like,” she said biting her lip.

He pressed his lips against hers and she forced herself to moan in satisfaction. His cold hands on her body were uncomfortable but she just needed him to kiss her a little longer so she could drain some of his strength to move again. She felt his tongue enter her mouth. She kissed him back as roughly as she could until his mouth broke away from hers.

“And what would our first time be like,” he said, his hands moving to her skirt, pulling it down her hips.

“Soft at first,” she said, feeling her arms losing their numbness. “You’d kiss me. Everywhere before you let me do the same to you,” she breathed, feeling the fabric travel past her thighs and hearing it slide down to the floor. She lay before him in her black turtleneck shirt and black satin panties. 

“Your body is truly a work of art,” he said, lifting her leg and kissing her knee. “Almost as if you were sculpted out of marble.”

She blushed at the comment. Hating herself for it.

He smiled at her and pinned her leg down. His hand moving to the waistband of her panties.

“Horde Prime,” she said. “Can you…” she began asking as she was turning red.

“What is it, Zelia? What do you want?” he asked, his nails scratching her inner thigh.

“Can you put me on top of you?” she asked. She absolutely hated this. But the only way she was able to pull this off was thinking of Sevgi doing this to her.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Oh? Is that your favorite position?”

“One of them,” she blushed with a shameless smile. 

He gently held her in his arms before he leaned back against his pillows. “Is this better?” he asked, caressing her face.

“Yes,” she smiled as she kissed him. Her hands caressed his face as she deepened her kiss.

Horde Prime was taken back by the amount of passion with which Zelia kissed him. He was enchanted by her, he wouldn’t deny it. And now, he was going to enjoy this moment before he sent her off with H-105 to Etheria. He held her tightly against him. She was rather small compared to him, but this was not the first time he’d had a small woman in his bed. His hands moved down to remove the black underwear from her. Suddenly, he felt her break their kiss and lean over him.  
“Don’t rush, lover,” she said. “It’s about the journey, not the destination,” she said as she kissed him once more. _“İndi isə yat,/ Sleep now”_ she said, as she kissed him once more and released the spell of Sleeping Kiss. 

She waited until she felt him go unconscious. She smirked. It worked out that he had dismissed his guards. She got out of bed. She heard him moan and remembered that the Sleeping Kiss spell used a magic that conjured a fantasy for the person under the spell. Unfortunately, she had a front row seat to his sexual fantasy. She ignored it for the time being and looked around the room.

 _“Mydnyte, sən haradasan / Mydnyte where are you?”_ she whispered, calling out to her sword. She saw a blue glow coming from one of the standing cabinets. She smiled as she walked over and opened it. There was her sword. She quickly walked over to one of her boots and pulled a knife from the heel. _“Qılınc çevrilsin / Transform into a sword,”_ she casted as the knife in her hand turned into an exact replica of Mydnyte. She grabbed her sword and switched it out with the small blade. “I missed you,” she said kissing the sword. _“Bir bıçağa çevir / Transform into a knife.”_ The sword obeyed and changed shape. 

She placed it in the heel of the boot and placed it back where it lay on the floor. She waited for Horde Prime to stop moaning before she crawled into bed. She undressed before she got in and bed and lay with her back to him and smiled to herself. She had Mydnyte back. And she hoped, Karaliene truly did cancel the magic in the shackles. She felt him wrap an arm around her, holding her close. She touched him as tenderly as she could. This wouldn’t last long. In a few hours, she would be with Sevgi on her way to Etheria.


	18. Unexpected Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Log and Aru head off to find out what happened to Sevgi. 
> 
> Glimmer and Catra have a heart to heart while Log and Aru are away.

Log watched as Zelia entered the elevator with Horde Prime and his child. He waited for the doors to close before he returned to the room without Zelia and without finding out where Sevgi was. He walked in carefully, unsure if the girls were still awake or asleep. Much to his dismay, they were very much awake. He took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to be bombarded with questions.

“Log, you’re back,” Glimmer smiled.

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied.

“Welcome back, Log,” Catra said as she helped Aru stand up. She had suggested that they should do some push ups to get their mind off the worry they all had for Zelia. 

Aru took Catra’s hand and stood. She was curious as to why he came back. She walked over to him. “Log, why aren’t you with her?” she asked, almost panicked.

“Horde Prime dismissed me...I-I’m sorry,” he said, his head lowering in shame.

“Hey don’t beat yourself up,” Glimmer said, walking over to him. “You did what you could. Did he try anything with you or with her?”

“No, Your Highness. At least, not while I was there. One of his children met up with them and they headed off.”

“One of his children?” Aru asked.

“Yes. He has 20 at the moment from his 12 wives.”

“WHO NEEDS THAT MANY KIDS AND WIVES?!” Glimmer screamed.

“You think he has clones for all of them or is it just him cause that seems like a lot of work,” Catra said, her expression disgusted by the idea.

“That gross Medusa head. Not to say anything bad about the story Zelia told us about Medusa but I’d rather deal with her than the Wirehead,” Aru said.

“I’m pretty sure Sparkles would try and make friends with Medusa,” Catra teased.

“She’d probably be easier to talk to than Horde Prime,” Glitter replied.

The girls laughed and Log just sighed with relief. “Again, my apologies for not being able to go with her. I know how worried you all are,” Log said, looking at them. “If I can offer you some comfort, I know that Zelia was fine when I was ordered to leave her with Horde Prime.”

“Zel’s a strong woman, I’m not too worried.” Catra commented.

Glimmer and Aru looked at one another. They were very worried.

“Catra how can you say that you’re **‘not too worried’** about her?” Glimmer asked, almost offended.

Catra sighed. “You heard her when we first arrived. She’s been here for a really long time. Do you really think that Sevgi wouldn’t have told her anything about Horde Prime during that time? Besides, if she was raised as a warrior, you really think she’s going to let him try something?”

Aru looked at Log. “Was she okay when she left?” she asked him, her golden eyes filled with worry.

He gently touched her face and blushed at how soft and warm she was to the touch. “S-She said that she would be fine. She wasn’t afraid when he took her,” he said.

Aru blushed as he touched her cheek and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Awww...Are you two going to kiss now?” Catra teased before giggling.

“I mean if he wants to,” Aru said bluntly and Log turned red.

Glimmer sighed and looked at Aru. “Aru, you can’t say things like that so bluntly.”

“Why?” Aru asked, confused.

“Well...because Log is obviously shy,” Glimmer said.

“Why is he shy? He’s my person,” Aru said looking at him.

Log turned his head to hide his blush and covered his smile with his hand. “Well, thank you. But Glimmer is right.”

“Do you need help talking to girls, Log?” Catra asked, her tail twirling as it pointed at Aru.

Log sighed in annoyance. “I don’t need this right now,” he said. “I’m going off to go find Sevgi.” 

Aru walked behind him. “Can I come? Please? I haven’t been outside of this room since today. I promise I’ll be good,” she smiled.

He wanted to believe her but knew that the other clones would not be so trusting.

“If you do want to come with me, I must warn you that I have to handcuff you.”

A minor inconvenience but if it meant she could leave the room… “That’s okay. I don’t mind,” she smiled.

Catra grabbed Glimmer’s arm. “You two have fun!” she said.

“Catra what are you doing?” Glimmer asked as she whispered at her.

“Letting them get along. Besides, it’s not like we should get used to being here,” Catra replied.

Glimmer looked at Aru and Log. 

Log handcuffed Aru’s wrists with two silver bracelets that had a neon green electrochain that would allow her to move her hands if needed but only to a certain extent. He then looked at Glimmer and Catra. “Will you be coming along as well?”

“No, you two go ahead,” Glimmer said as she looked at Log and Aru.

“Have fun,” Catra smiled.

Aru looked at Log who was blushing lightly. He opened the door and they walked out.

“What are you up to Catra?” Glimmer asked her.

“Nothing. But I think she and Log could use the privacy, don’t you?” she smirked.

“Aru’s a kid!” Glimmer stated.

“She’s pipsqueak, but she’s probably as old as we are. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like Horde Prime is going to find them. He’s too busy with Zelia.”

“Don’t remind me,” Glimmer sighed. “Hopefully she’s not enduring anything horrible,” she added as she walked over to the bed and sat down.

“You’re really worried, huh?” Catra said as she sat next to her. “I might not know her well enough, but I know that she’s tougher than she looks,” she said trying, comfort Glimmer.

“And you're a lot nicer than you look,” Glimmer laughed lightly.

Catra smiled and tried not to roll her eyes. “Don’t tell anyone. I might lose my reputation,” she laughed. “Hey...who was your message for?” she asked.

“Adora and Bow. It makes the most sense. And yours?”

“That’s a secret,” Catra said. “Not that I don’t trust you, but I’d rather not say. Typically when I say something or do something, it blows up in my face.”

Glimmer looked at her sadly. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault this time,” Catra said trying to deflect.

“Listen...I’m glad you told me about you and Adora earlier.”

Catra pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I’m surprised I trusted you enough to tell you,” she said almost defeated. “I don’t...normally talk about my feelings.”

“If you had grown up with Bow, there would be no escaping it,” Glimmer said smiling. “Bow doesn’t let anything go. Which is good...and sometimes annoying,” she laughed. 

“He must really care for you,” Catra said. “Adora was like that when we were growing up. I know I always told her that she was Shadow Weaver’s favorite, but she was always getting me out of the trouble I managed to get myself in.”

“She’s really good at improvising,” Glimmer said.

“She’s had an insane amount of practice,” Catra said laughing lightly.

“Well, if only she was as good at acting as she is improvising,” Glimmer added.

The two girls laughed.

“Hey...would it be too much to ask for a hug?” Glimmer said.

“I don’t see why that would be asking a lot,” Catra said as she opened her arms. 

Almost instantly Glimmer hugged her back and held her tightly. “Hey..it’s okay. We’re going to be okay…” she said.

Glimmer started crying. “What if we don’t get out?”

Catra hugged her. “You make it seem like Zelia’s going to go back on her promise. She said she was going to get us out and she will. She promised us...”

Glimmer pulled away and looked at her. “You think she’s going to get us out?”

“I know she is,” Catra smiled.

“Was your clothing satisfactory when it was returned?” Log asked.

“What?” Aru replied confused.

“Um..were your clothes all right when they were returned to you?” Log asked again.

“Yes they were. Thank you. Also, why are you so nice to us?” Aru asked curiously. She wasn’t sure why he was so nice to them. Her mostly. 

Log looked at her. “Well, when Zelia first arrived, she wasn’t treated very well by Horde Prime. When she was teleported onto the ship she was dressed in her armor, prepared to fight. But when the raiding team and I teleported to the planet, there was nothing there except vegetation. When we came back to report this, Horde Prime had the guards with him beat her. She tried to fight them, but she was outnumbered. What surprised me was how she didn’t care that she was being hurt. She just kept asking if that’s all that they would do to her. Horde Prime decided it would be easier to just kill her but when she walked past the chamber where the celestial being is kept, she levitated off the floor and somehow managed to crack the encasement. That’s when Horde Prime decided she might be useful and gave her the chambers you all share.”

Aru looked at him. “So the Ding Dong has been mean to her since she got here?!” she asked, angered by learning this.

Log nodded. “Unfortunately yes. Since she would be staying here on the Mothership, Horde Prime made H-105 her “companion.” The first day after she got here I was in the lab to ask her about what happened. She looked so tired and though she didn’t show it, I could sense she was afraid. I told her she could tell me when she was ready to and she just smiled at me,” he said. “I’d never seen anyone who was brought here against their will smile. She apologized to me and then told me that what happened was called a “binding.” When one magic finds another and needs it to manifest. She said the binding was incomplete and that she wouldn’t be able to complete it unless she got the being out of the chamber.”

Aru blinked. “What’s the celestial being?”

“Oh my apologies. We can stop there if you’d like to see,” he said kindly.

Aru nodded. “Yeah. I’d like to. If that’s okay.”

He nodded. “This way,” he said as he led her down the passageway. “Just don’t try to touch anything,” he said. “I’m still not sure exactly how the celestial being’s magic works.”

Aru looked at where they were. The hallways seemed to all look the same from when she first came. Was this intentionally done so that if anyone tried to escape they would get lost? She followed Log and he entered a number sequence into the keypad. The sliding door opened and they walked into an illuminated room. Her eyes widened as she saw the silver mermaid in the clear liquid. “Is that…”

“This is the celestial being,” Log said. “The only reason Zelia is still alive. Horde Prime wants her to release the celestial being so he can use her magic to conquer the universe”

Aru looked at Log. “And what about Zelia? What will happen to her?”

Log looked away from her eyes. “I’m not sure. Even Zelia isn’t sure what will happen if she let’s the celestial being out. There’s only been a spike in the celestial being’s vitals for the past few days. Actually, the vitals only started once the new arrivals came,” he said as he looked at a tablet with data. 

“Why do you think that is?” Aru asked, looking at the silver mermaid.

“Who can say? Zelia and I have talked theories for years.”

“Years?” Aru asked. She knew that Catra had mentioned something about Zelia being here for a long time.

Log nodded. “Yes. Zelia’s been here for almost 10 years. Working day in and day out to make contact with the being,” he said. His eyes widened. Did Aru not know how long Zelia had been here?

“That sounds like such a long time,” Aru said. Something in her felt the familiarity of being somewhere foreign for a long time.

“It hasn’t been completely terrible,” Log said looking at her trying to ease her worry. “You know, since you’ve all arrived I’ve seen her a lot happier.”

Aru looked at him. “Really?”

He nodded as he smiled at her. “She told me that you remind her of herself.”

Aru shook her head. “I don’t see how. She’s so sweet and beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful too,” Log said looking at her.

Aru blushed and looked away from him. “Um...shouldn’t we be looking for H-105?” she asked. She knew calling him by his name outside of the room was probably not the best thing.

“Ah yes, we can check another lab,” he said, nervously. Did he offend her? He escorted her out of the celestial being chamber and to an elevator. “And my apologies if I offended you…”

“You didn’t,” Aru said. “I just...I just don’t think anyone’s ever told me that.”

Log pressed a level button and felt somewhat sad to hear that. “Well, you are,” he said smiling at her. “You are very beautiful in your own way, Aru.”

Aru felt her blush taking over her face. “T-thanks. You’re beautiful too.”

Log looked at her and blinked.

She felt so stupid. 

“Thank you,” he smiled. “The place we’re going is called the Solitary Chambers. It’s different from where the clones are made. This place is where they come when they need to be prepared for battle or lengthy missions. He _should_ be here,” Log said as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

Aru noticed that there weren’t many guards around the mothership. She wondered why.

“This way,” Log said as he stepped out and waited for Aru. She followed him and he inputted another number sequence into a pinpad. The doors opened and a larger clone stopped him from entering.

“What is your business here H-706?”

“Data collection,” Log replied.

The larger clone looked at Aru. “What’s that?”

Aru sneered but stayed quiet. 

“Ah yes, she’s my new assistant. The package is still being routed, but she’s the resident Sorceress’ apprentice.”

The larger clone let them step through. “Very well then,” he said, almost annoyed.  
Log escorted Aru in and her eyes widened at the countless vitrines. How were they going to find Sevgi?

“Log,” she whispered. “How are we going to find him?” she asked.

“Easy,” Log said as he walked over to a large computer. “We just need to input his name into the database and it will tell us where he is,” Log said as he began typing.  
Aru looked at all the sleeping clones. Some had physical wounds that were healing, others looked to be asleep. There were so many.

“Found him! Come on,” he said as he grabbed a tablet and began walking.

Aru followed him and almost clung to his side. “Sorry, it’s just kinda scary in here,” she commented.

“It says Horde Prime ordered for his placement,” Log said looking at a tablet as they walked over to where Sevgi was being kept.

“Does it say why?” Aru asked.

“No…” Log replied as he scrolled the tablet. “Wait,” Log said, stopping her from moving forward.

Aru looked ahead and saw Sevgi. Her golden eyes widened seeing him poked with various tubes.

“Log is he okay?” she asked, somewhat scared.

“I’m checking,” Log said, looking at the tablet. His eyes widened. “We need to go to my lab,” he said. 

“W-We can’t leave him!” Aru pleaded.

“We won’t be able to help him if we don’t get something from my lab,” Log stressed. “Please,” he said as he gently took her arm. Aru followed and looked back as a set of clones walked over to Sevgi’s vitrine.

Log returned the tablet, but switched out a chip and put it in his pocket. They walked out of the room and headed down the hall.

Aru sighed. She felt somewhat defeated. He was right there...they could have gotten him out. She inhaled a sharp breath to hold back her anger.

“We’re here,” Log said as he inputted his passcode and entered his lab.

Aru followed behind him and stared in amazement. This lab was much different than the vitrine chamber. It was filled with various beakers and microscopes.

“Do you use all this?” Aru asked as she looked at a desk with a tank that had some creatures in it. Next to it was a journal with some scribbles and drawings. “Do you like what you do here?” she asked.

“I use most of the equipment here and yes, I do like what I do. I enjoy learning and getting to experiment on different chemicals and their reactions,” he replied. “The universe is filled with countless wonders,” he said as he looked at her.

She blushed and looked around his lab. “What exactly do you need to get?” she asked.

He was mixing some liquids together. “Whatever Horde Prime had them put in those tubes is not the typical sleeping agent. From several of the chemicals I saw on the tablet, it looked like some of those tubes were filled with conflicting chemicals that would create some kind of poison.”

“POISON?!” Aru gasped.

“It wasn’t in any amounts that would be deadly, but they can be lethal if not taken care of,” he said. “I’m not sure why he would do this but we can’t let him get away with it.”

“He’s probably jealous,” Aru said, folding her arms.

“Jealous?” Log questioned.

“Think about it. Why is he all of a sudden interested in Zelia? If it really has been as long as you say, why would he just **now** be interested in her?” Aru genuinely was concerned about this matter. “Is that going to be enough to help him?” Aru asked, looking at the vials Log was placing in a small padded portable box.

“It should be. But we need to head back to Zelia’s quarters. Sevgi should be getting released soon,” he said.

Aru couldn’t help but wonder what Horde Prime was planning.

Log entered his passcode into the pinpad and the door opened again. “Let’s go,” he said as he led Aru out of his lab.

“Do you think he’ll be okay until we get there?” she asked.

“He’s a first generation series of clones. He’s a lot stronger than some of the first ones that Horde Prime made,” Log replied as he pressed the elevator button to take them back to the level where Zelia’s quarters were.

“First generation?” she asked. 

“Oh. First generation means the first clones Horde Prime had made. It took him a few tries to get the body type to last. From my understanding the first dozen or so clones didn’t survive outside the vitrine for more than a few hours. So he constantly reworked the formula until he was able to get it how he wanted it. H-105 is part of that batch of successful clones.”

“And you?” Aru asked, curiously.

“I was created to be a Lab Assistant to the Science Department. I know minimal things in regards to combat because most of my programming is for science,” he said.

“So you’ve never really gone out to fight?” 

He shook his head. “No. I’m usually running experiments or helping with test trials,” he replied nervously.

Aru felt somewhat relieved. So at least he was never one to be put in real danger. 

The elevator doors opened and Log motioned for her to step out first. Aru stepped out and waited for Log to step next to her before walking.

“Thank you Log,” she said, breaking the silence.

“For what?” Log asked her.

“Taking me out to walk around. I really appreciate it,” she smiled at him.

“D-Don’t mention it,” he replied, trying to keep himself from blushing.

They approached the room only to see Sevgi being helped in by another set of clones.

Aru was about to call out but Log covered her mouth. “Shhh. Those are Horde Prime’s personal guards,” he whispered. 

Aru’s eyes widened. If the guards were here, did that mean Zelia was truly alone with Horde Prime?

Log pulled her into a space in the wall to hide. “We’ll wait here for a moment.”

“O-okay…” Aru said, turning red as she realized just how close to Log she was. She might have said earlier that she wouldn’t have minded if they kissed, but being so close to him now was different. He was taller than she was and she felt so small next to him.

She hadn’t been this close to him since he found her in the vents.

_Aru had managed to climb inside the ship. She was surprised at how easy it was to get inside. She had crawled in through the ventilation system. She was a little uncomfortable at how cold the steel was against her skin. She crawled through until she saw what she assumed were people through slits in the steel._

_“We should try another variation of the chemical compound,” said one person. “I don’t think this one is proving to yield any valuable data.”_

_“Perhaps we should try that with another sample as well as a different variation,” said another voice._

_Aru noticed these people had pale skin and long ears. She couldn’t see their eyes. She stared for a few moments before she got bored and started crawling to see what else she could find. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that she had made noise as she began to crawl through the vent._

_“Did you hear that?” said the first person._

_“It came...from the vents?” said the second person._

_Aru was making her way through the vent when she noticed that the vent ahead of her was open. She gasped as she saw one of the people from earlier poke a head into the vent._

_The person looked at her with large green eyes._

_“What are you doing in the vent?” he asked._

_She said nothing, frozen in shock._

_“Let me help you out of there,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “I won’t hurt you,” he said kindly._

_Kindness? She reached her hand out and he took it, pulling her to him gently. She was pulled into his arms and she instinctively held onto him. She tried not to blush as he carefully held her, afraid she might get too hot._

_“What’s your name?” the person asked._

_“A-Aru…” she said._

_“Nice to meet you Aru. I’m H-706,” he smiled at her._

_She looked at him and rose a brow. “That’s a weird name,” she replied bluntly._

_“It’s a common name here,” he commented before blushing at her naked appearance._

_“Well, I’m going to call you Log,” she smiled. “It’s better than that long number.”_

_“O-okay,” he said. “Here, let me cover you up,” he said as he removed his cloak and placed it over her naked body. “There. That’s probably better,” he said smiling at her._

_Aru blushed lightly as she adjusted his cloak on her body before she heard someone screaming at Log._

_“H-706! YOU MUST TAKE THE CAPTIVE TO HORDE PRIME!” said someone._

_“Whose Horde Prime?” Aru asked._

_“He’s our creator,” he replied. “Just try to stay quiet if you can,” he warned._

_Aru nodded. He gently took her arm as he walked her to one of Horde Prime’s smaller throne rooms._

_“H-706, shackle her,” the other clone said to him as they waited outside the door to be let in._

_Log placed shackles on Aru’s wrists and looked at her, his eyes sad at what he had to do to her._

_“Enter,” said a chilling voice._

_The doors opened and Aru was led into a throne room. This feeling was all too familiar to her._

_“Horde Prime, we found this girl in the vents. She’s completely harmless,” Log said._

_The one called Horde Prime looked her up and down with four eyes. “Well, look at what we have he-”_

_Aru bit into her steel shackle._

_“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” Horde Prime screamed in shock._

_She swallowed it and looked at Horde Prime. She could see everyone was uncomfortable. “What?” she asked._

_Log looked at Horde Prime. “Perhaps, she would be best suited to stay with your resident Sorceress. She might be able to find out how exactly she was able to get in.”_

_Horde Prime looked at Log. “Very well then.”_

_“OOOH WHAT’S THIS?!” Aru asked as she looked at a door in the meeting room._

_“H-706 GET HER OUT OF HERE!” Horde Prime hissed, his hair reacting._

_Aru scowled and Log gently took her arm and escorted her out._

_“What was that about?” she asked._

_“I’m not sure,” Log said. “But please don’t provoke him again,” he warned. “He’s not the kind of person you should anger,” he said, a hint of fear in his voice._

_“Who’s the Sorceress?” Aru asked as she was led away from the room._

_“She’s someone who will make sure you’re safe,” he said, almost relieved. He looked at the two guards at the door to the Sorceress. “I was ordered by Horde Prime to bring her to the Sorceress.”_

_The guards let Log knock on the door._

_Aru stood still as she saw another man who looked like Log opened the door._

_“Good evening, H-105. Forgive the late visit, but Horde Prime wants her to be kept here with the Sorceress,” said Log to the other clone whose name was H-105._

_“Log are you really leaving me here?” Aru asked, as she was someone afraid to be left with strangers._

_“I have other duties I must attend to at the moment…” Log said reluctantly. She could tell he didn’t want to leave her. She looked at H-105, afraid he was going to be cruel to her._

_“I just ask if you can remain silent. The ladies in this room are asleep and they’ve had a very long day.”_

_Aru was surprised at how calm he was. “So…I need to be quiet?” she asked._

_H-105 nodded at her. “At least until they wake up. Then you can be talkative,” he said kindly._

_“Okay. But you’ll come back for me right, Log?” she said as she looked at Log.  
Log blush as he looked at her. “Yes Aru, I will return when I finish with my duties,” Log replied. “Please just stay here with them for the time being.”_

_“Okay,” Aru said, trying to be brave. She looked at H-105. “Can I come in?”_

_“Ah, yes. My apologies, this way My Lady,” H-105 said as he led her into the room. “Unfortunately, all the beds are taken at the moment. I can get you a blanket and you can sleep on the chair. I do apologize for the inconvenience.”_

_Aru noticed a chair. “It’s okay,” Aru said as she took a seat on the chair and curled up._

_H-105 got her a blanket and covered her. She wasn’t used to such kindness._

_“Here you are,” he said as he covered her._

_“Thanks,” she smiled, yawning before closing her eyes. She was safe...she was safe._

_During the night, Log came back to the room to give H-105 an older Horde uniform for Aru._

_“I think this will fit her,” Log said._

_“I’m sure she’ll be appreciative of this,” H-105 said. “So…Log huh?”_

_Log blushed. “I-I didn’t have the heart to tell her no…”_

_“Don’t feel bad. Zelia calls me Sevgi when we’re alone,” he said, blushing himself._

_“So, you two share a secret?” Log asked._

_“I think you and Aru might begin to share one too if you’re bringing her this,” Sevgi said._

_Log turned red._

_Sevgi chuckled. “Don’t be afraid. You might find it will be a good change in your life.”_

_“Is that how you feel toward the Sorceress?”_

_Sevgi nodded. “Something like that.” He looked at Aru sleeping on the chair and then looked at Log. “I’ll let her know you stopped by. When will you be back?”_

_Log looked at him. “Maybe later. There’s a few experiments I’m working on that need my attention.”_

_“I’ll let her know that you’ll be back for her then,” Sevgi teased._

_Log dismissed himself and Sevgi put the uniform on the floor next to the chair Aru was sleeping in._

_Aru woke up before anyone else and looked at H-105. “Um…where do I put this?” she asked._

_“Oh, you’re awake Lady Aru. Let me take that from you,” H-105 said as he held his hand out for the blanket._

_Aru stood up and handed him the blanket. “Thank you for this,” she smiled. “And thank you for being so nice to me,” she said._

_“Of course,” he replied. “Oh, Log stopped by and brought you something,” he smiled._

_“He brought me something?” she asked, blushing lightly._

_“I put it on the floor by your chair.”_

_Aru looked at the floor and smiled at the uniform. “For me?”_

_H-105 nodded. “Yes, he did. He said he'd come back to see you soon. And I apologize for not being very talkative. The Sorceress is still sleeping, and I don’t want to wake her.”_

_“Oh sorry,” Aru said. “Am I being too loud?”_

_“No, you’re fine. It’s just…she had a long night and was very tired. She’s usually up around this time. And if you need to change, you can use the folding screen over there,” he replied as he pointed the screen to her before he walked off._

_Aru walked to the folding screen and removed the cloak that Log had given her and changed into the uniform he had brought her. She stepped out after she finished dressing and looked at the cot where the woman was sleeping. She smiled when she saw the woman’s white hair._

_“Hey, Clone, who’s this?” asked a tall feline looking woman._

_“Good morning, Catra. This is Aru,” H-105 said. “She’s going to be staying with us.”_

_“Hi, I’m Aru,” Aru smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”_

_“Catra,” said the feline woman._

_Aru looked back at the sleeping woman._

_“Hey, don’t wake her up!” Catra said sternly._

_“Who are you arguing with so early in the morning?” said another woman with pink and purple hair who got up from the bed._

_“The pipsqueak obviously, Sparkles,” Catra said._

_“Can you not call me that,” the woman said._

_Aru noticed that everyone seemed distracted with one another and walked over to the sleeping woman. She moved the blanket from her face and blushed when she saw how pretty she was. She touched her hair and smiled._

_“HEY DON’T TOUCH HER!” Catra screamed._

_“HOW ABOUT NOT SCREAMING CATRA?!”_

_“SPARKLES CAN YOU NOT!?”_

_“Why are you fighting so early in the morning?” H-105 asked, groaning._

_While everyone was busy shouting, Aru tugged on the white haired woman’s hair until she woke up and looked at her with golden eyes._

_“SHE HAS HAIR THE SAME COLOR AS MINE!” said the girl next to her. “HI HAIR TWIN!”_

Log could feel Aru’s heart beating against him. Maybe pulling her into this tight space wasn’t the best idea, but he couldn’t let the guards see them. He held her tightly against him.

“Shhh…”

Aru nodded against him and felt herself grow warmer and warmer. 

“Okay, the coast is clear,” Log said as he saw Horde Prime’s guards leaving. He hadn’t noticed when he started sweating but knew that the air ventilation was supposed to keep everything cool. He looked at Aru who looked at him with her golden eyes. He blushed when he realized that the heat was coming from her. 

“Come on,” he said, leading her back to the room.

Log opened the door to see Sevgi on his knees, shaking as Catra and Glimmer tried to get him to let them help him up.

“I’m fine…” Sevgi said stubbornly.

“You’re not,” Log said as he entered.

Aru looked at him as she thought about what Log said about him being poisoned. “Just stop resisting help,” she said. “Catra, Glimmer, can you put him on the cot?” Aru said.

Log removed Aru’s handcuff bracelets. “Thanks,” he said.

Aru blushed as she walked next to him. 

Sevgi groaned as Catra lifted him and placed him on the cot. Glimmer grabbed a blanket and put it over him.

“I’m...fine…” he groaned.

“You’re about as fine as we were when we got captured,” Catra said.

“That bitch did something to you,” Aru said.

Glimmer and Catra looked at Aru.

“What?” Sevgi asked.

Log kneeled down next to Sevgi. “She’s right. He put something in your intravenous cables,” Log said.

“How do you know?” Sevgi asked.

“We went to find you,” Aru smiled. “And that’s how Log knows what he just told you.”

“What do you mean Horde Prime put something in his cables?” Glimmer asked.

“A poison,” Log said as he removed the vials and pulled out a needle from his cloak pocket.

“POISON?!” Glimmer gasped.

“So he wants to kill me?” Sevgi said, his eyes narrowing. 

“You won’t die, Sevgi,” Log said. “Can I see your neck?”

Sevgi looked at Catra. “Can you help me sit up?”

Catra gently gripped his shoulders and lifted him. Glimmer got behind him and held him.

“Thanks, Sparkles,” Catra said as she held him still.

Sevgi sighed as Log touched the hole in his neck.

“This is going to make you more drowsy than you already are. You’ll need to sleep off the medicine I’m giving you.”

“It’s not like I can go to her anyway,” he said, his voice pained knowing that Zelia was alone with Horde Prime.

Aru looked at him. “She’s okay,” she smiled. She didn’t know if Zelia was okay, but she had to help Sevgi believe that she was. “She’s going to come back soon and fill this room with her sweetness. Then you two will get to go to Etheria. You’re going to help Glimmer and Catra get home,” she said as she kneeled down and took his hand.

“And you’re going to love Bright Moon,” Glimmer said. “There’s a beautiful garden in the palace filled with lots of flowers,” Glimmer added.

“Flowers?” Sevgi asked. “Like the ones in her paintings?”

“Some,” Glimmer said. “There’s a beautiful rosebush with white roses.”

“Zelia doesn’t like roses,” Sevgi said, somewhat smiling. “She said that someone ruined roses for her.”

“Well, if she saw these, she might change her mind,” Glimmer said proudly.

“I doubt that,” Sevgi said, his eyes growing heavy.

Log was thankful for the distraction the girls were providing as he carefully injected the vials one after the other into Sevgi’s neck hole. 

Aru looked at Sevgi and tried to keep him awake as Log wasn’t completely finished. “I’m sure she’d change her mind if _**you**_ gave them to her,” Aru started. “Because I know she likes you very much,” she smiled.

Sevgi said nothing as he turned red. “Y-You must be mistaken…” he said.

“I mean, she does care about you,” Catra said. “It might not be completely obvious to you, but we can tell,” she said as she held him. “She’s probably just hiding it because it’s not safe here for someone like her to be involved with someone like you.”

Aru felt her heart beat nervously as she looked at Log. 

“Done,” Log said as he placed the empty vials and needle back in his cloak.

“Thank...you...Log…” Sevgi said weakly.

“Hold him up for just a moment longer,” Log said to the girls. “It’ll take a moment for it to completely be absorbed by his immune system.”

The girls nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Sevgi. You need to hang on okay? You can’t let Zelia go to Etheria alone,” Aru said, holding tightly onto his hand. “She might say she can do it on her own but the truth is she needs you…”

“We need you too,” Catra said smiling. “You’re the only one aside from Zelia and Log who looks out for us.”

“So please don’t give up,” Glimmer said.

“I-I…” Sevgi began before his eyes closed.

“You can lay him down gently,” Log said. “It looks like the serum is working.”

Glimmer gently moved back and Catra slowly eased him down.

Aru held onto his hand. “I don’t want to let him go,” she said, shaking.

Log kneeled down next to her. “It’s okay. I’ll wait here with you,” he smiled. “That way when he wakes up, he won’t be alone.”

Aru smiled and she looked at Sevgi.

Glimmer looked at Aru. “I’m going to head to bed, okay?”

Aru nodded.

“I’m going to stay up for a bit,” Catra said. “You get some rest, Sparkles,” she smiled as she walked over to the bed and grabbed a pillow. “Hey Aru, you might feel better sitting on this.”

“Thank you,” Aru smiled as she used her free hand to take the pillow and put it on the floor before sitting on it.

“Any idea why Horde Prime would want him poisoned?” Catra asked.

“Who knows?” Log sighed. “He’s not one to give us reasons for why he does things. He just does them.”

Catra frowned. “Still, if he’s supposed to be going with Zelia, why would he try to poison him?”

“I wonder if he’s trying to make him weak so that he can go in his place…”

Catra looked at him. “Well, good thing Sevgi’s got someone like you looking out for him.”

Log and Catra took turns napping while Aru made good on her promise to hold Sevgi’s hand until he woke up.

She looked at him and wondered how many times something like this must have happened to him. Was this something new? Was Horde Prime doing this because he wanted him out of the picture so he could have Zelia all to himself? She was growing tired but she couldn’t sleep…

“Aru…”

Her golden eyes looked at Sevgi.

“You’re awake?” she asked, tears of joy forming in her eyes.

“You are very kind to me,” he smiled. “From the kindness you’ve known me, I can see why Zelia loves you very much,” he said as his eyes closed again.

She sighed with relief. He was okay. 

A knock on the door spooked her. 

Catra groaned as she woke up. “Who could that be?” Catra stretched herself before she woke Log up. “Hey, can you get the door?” 

Log stood and walked to the door. “Yes?” he asked.

“The Sorceress will need to be escorted back here soon. Please head to Horde Prime’s chambers to bring her back,” said the messenger. 

“Understood. I’ll leave shortly,” Log replied. The messenger walked off and he closed the door. “Will you be alright while I go get Zelia?” he asked.

Catra nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be fine,” she said.

He looked at Aru who let Sevgi’s hand go. “Aru?”

She looked at him and smiled. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

“I will return shortly,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it before he walked out.

Aru turned red and Catra smiled at her.

“Aww...he likes you.”


	19. Final Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of departure has finally arrived.

Zelia lay awake staring at the door. She hadn’t been able to sleep. She had survived the night without having to have sex with Horde Prime. Though she was extremely uncomfortable with the visions he had conjured up. He had an obsession with wanting her to be gagged. She could only assume it was from her constant backtalk. She touched her throat. She knew it didn’t happen but her throat felt so dry and it hurt thinking about what he wanted to do to her. She hoped she wouldn’t have to find out.  
She was thankful the only thing she had to really endure was some uncomfortable kissing but nothing that she would hate herself for. She would have rather stayed in her room with the girls, Log and Sevgi. She sighed to herself wondering how they had fared. She knew she was probably worrying over nothing. She heard some walking outside and wondered if the guards had returned. Horde Prime had dismissed them so they could truly be alone for the night. She was thankful for that. She wouldn’t have been able to get her sword back if he hadn’t.If they were coming back then that meant she would be going back to her room soon. She felt Horde Prime stir and rolled over in bed to look at him.  
She wondered what kind of person he used to be. Karaliene’s memory was still so vivid. He didn’t seem evil back then. He was tender with Karaliene. She watched as his two smaller eyes opened first before his main eyes.

“Well...good morning beautiful.”

“Good morning,” she smiled.

“Have you been awake?” he asked her.

“I wanted to watch you sleep,” she said sweetly. “I’ve never gotten the chance to admire someone while they slept.”

“A curious custom, but a sweet one,” he said as he pressed his lips against hers.

She kissed him back and caressed his face. “I had a wonderful night,” she smiled. “And you were...so amazing,” she sighed as she lied.

“As were you,” he said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been that satisfied,” he smirked.

“Well, it’s been far longer for me,” she giggled. “I’m glad I didn’t disappoint.” She swore if the door didn’t knock soon she’d reuse the spell and get out of here herself. She looked at him.

“I’m sorry...for what happened with Karaliene…” she said.

He stopped touching her and got up, covering himself with his robe. She sat up and pulled the covers over herself. “I know it’s hard but if you ignore it, it won’t help you move forward,” she said.

“And how would you know about moving forward?”

“I just know what it’s like to hold onto something like that for a long time,” she said, trying to be empathetic towards him.

He said nothing as he looked at her. “Don’t mention it again,” he said. “Knowing what I know now, I wish I’d never asked you to show me her memories.”

Zelia got up, covering herself with the sheets and picked up her clothes. “I only did as you asked,” she sighed. “But I won’t bring it up again,” she said as she walked back to the bed and put her bra on. “It’ll be our secret,” she said looking over her shoulder and smiling at him as she slid her panties over her thighs.

“A secret indeed,” Horde Prime said. He pushed a button on his table and a clone guard came in.

“Horde Prime,” the clone said as he bowed to him.

“Please ask H-706 to come for Zelia. She’ll need to prepare for her mission to Etheria along with H-105 and Hordak so let him know she’s ready.”

“Understood,” the clone said before he exited the room. Zelia put her shirt on before her skirt.

Horde Prime looked at her as she was getting dressed. When she got the skirt on she sat back down on the bed and looked at him with her golden eyes.

“You said that name was ridiculous, yet you're using it,” she smirked. Horde Prime looked at her. “What is Hordak’s number if his name is ridiculous?” she asked as she slipped her right boot on.

“It’s none of your concern,” he said.

She knew the number was unlike any of the other clones. Hordak’s number was K-849. She also knew why he was sick. Horde Prime had taken samples of Karaliene’s DNA before he placed her in the vitrine. He had tried to clone her but was unsuccessful. Then he added his DNA in with Karaliene’s. Hordak was the only being that had survived creation. He was not made from Horde Prime alone, he was also made from Karaliene. That’s why she had told her to save **HER SON.** That’s why Horde Prime had a grudge against him; not because he was a defect, but because despite the cloning process that created clones like Sevgi and Log, he could not create a being or clone from Karaliene that did not possess the curse he inflicted on her. He hated Hordak because Hordak was supposed to prove that he could clone his wife and bring her back in some way. He had succeeded but not in the way he wanted.

“Yes of course. My apologies,” she said as she stood. “Would you like to give me details of your plan for the mission?”

“You are to go to the planet with H-105 and go to Queen Glimmer’s kingdom, Bright Moon. You are to use Hordak to bring Entrapta here to help with the Heart of Etheria and with releasing the celestial being,” he said as he poured himself a glass of wine.

She looked at him. “I thought the celestial being was my responsibility,” she stated, somewhat offended.

“If this girl is truly a genius she will do both. I need that weapon and the celestial beings' magic to conquer the rest of the universe.”

She bit her tongue and said nothing. The door opened and she saw Log walking in with a guard.

“Sorceress, are you ready to return to your room?” Log asked.

She looked at Horde Prime who narrowed his eyes at her. “H-706, please place her shackles on. I forgot to do it earlier,” he said pointing to the shackles on the floor.

She was foolish to think he would have forgotten. But she did not forget what Karaliene had said about them not hindering her magic. She held her wrists out and Log clasped the silver shackles on her. She smiled at him. “Thank you, 706.”

“You are welcome, Sorceress,” he replied.

“Go prepare yourself, Zelia. You and H-105 will leave in 2 hours.”

“Yes, Horde Prime,” she said curtseying. “I will see you then,” she said as she turned and began to walk out of the room. Zelia was escorted back to her room by Log. Her mind was racing. She couldn’t let him marry Glimmer. She couldn’t let Catra and Entrapta become slaves to him. She had to get them out of here. But how was she going to do that? She thought back to first war relief mission she’d been sent to with her class at the Armadic Academy. She remembered the look they gave her when she gave up her rations so that they could eat. She snuck out of the camp and found her way into the warlord's stronghold. She'd fought his entire guard until she came face to face with him herself.

**_“THESE PEOPLE DO NOT BELONG TO YOU! YOU CANNOT STARVE THEM!”_ **

**_That’s what she had told the warlord who was withholding food and access to fertile land from the people she’d helped. She bargained for their freedom with a spell. She’d never told him that the spell would destroy him once she took all the people back to Lacia._ **

**_"It was not your place, Zelia to save them,” the Admiral told her. “You realize that these people will be prisoners in Lacia.”_ **

**_“They won’t be prisoners, not there,” Zelia retorted._ **

**_“They will never be able to leave until they die. You know that, right?” the Admiral asked her._ **

**_“I can’t let them live like this,” Zelia said. “Not when I can do something about it.”_ **

**_“You can change the cage but it’s still a cage,” the Admiral told her. "Do not forget that when those people also turn on you."_ **

**_Much to the Admiral's dismay, they never did._ **

She could endure living here on the Mothership with Horde Prime. Whatever it took, she would get them off this ship along with Aru, Log and Sevgi and keep them safe.

 _You will keep them safe. I promised you. And a celestial being can’t break a promise,_ she heard Celestia say to her.

 _I hope for your sake you’re right,_ Zelia replied.

“Zelia, we’re here,” Log said.

She was so lost in thought she didn’t even realize that they had made it back. “Thank you,” she replied as her guards opened the door. 

She walked in and smiled as she saw the girls. She exhaled with relief that they were well.

“ZELIA!!” Aru said running over and hugging her. “You came back!”

“Yes,” she said, holding her tightly. “I did. I promised you I would come back, didn’t I?” She looked around. “Where’s Sevgi?” she asked. 

“That Dio tried to poison him!” Aru told her.

Zelia’s golden eyes widened. “What..?” She felt herself begin to panic.

“He’s okay. Log and Aru got him a serum and he’s resting. He asked me to bring you to the other side of the room when you got back,” Catra said as she walked over to her. “Are you okay?”

She exhaled in relief and nodded. She was so tired from lack of sleep. She knew they would be leaving in two hours. “Yes. I’m just tired from keeping Horde Prime at bay,” she said looking at with tired eyes.

“From the look of it you succeeded”, Catra smiled. They crossed the large room and Catra opened the sliding door.

Zelia’s eyes widened as she saw Sevgi sleeping in her cot. She looked at Catra.

“Is he okay?” she asked.

Catra nodded. “Yeah. Log said it’s a side effect from the serum that he used. Sevgi’s just resting. And you look like you could use a good nap,” she said.

“Can you wake me in an hour?” Zelia asked. “Horde Prime wants me to meet him in two, but if I can rest for a while,” she sighed. “I would greatly appreciate it.”

“I got you. I’ll make sure we all wake you up in an hour,” Catra said as she closed the door behind her and walked off.

Zelia took her boots and skirt off and put them on the side of the cot. She took a deep breath before she got under the blanket and laid next to him, her right arm wrapping around him. “I’m so sorry Sevgi,” she whispered.

She felt him tilt her chin and his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes as tears began escaping faster than her heart beating against her chest.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said softly and reassuringly. “We will get away for the day and I’ll make sure I erase any traces of him from your mind,” he said holding her tightly as he kissed her.

She let him kiss her and felt her some of her tiredness melt away with the way his lips felt against hers. The way his hands held her tightly and gently touched her. She wanted to crawl over him but she just broke their kiss and looked into his green eyes. She smiled at him. “Just promise me you won’t let me sleep when we get to Etheria.”

He held her close and kissed her head. “Just make sure you can soundproof that room too.”

She nodded. “It shouldn’t be a problem,” she smiled as her eyelids closed.

They lay in silence and Zelia had fallen asleep in Sevgi’s arms. Sevgi held her close. She was exhausted. He didn’t even need to connect with her telepathically to know that. She’d told him she had to let Horde Prime do something to her. He didn’t want to know what. He watched as she slept soundly in his arms. He held her close and knew that even though she was sleeping, she was here with him now. 

_“I don’t know if you know how nervous I am to have you somewhat to myself today. I don’t know what Horde Prime is planning but I know that you and Celestia won’t let him get away with whatever that is. You are incredibly powerful and your heart has always been kind since the moment you and I met. I’m forever grateful for you,”_ he said as he kissed her forehead. _“You will be victorious. Everyone believes in you so much.”_

He held her close, her arms wrapping around him as she slept. He wished this moment could last but knew they had to go soon.

Aru opened the sliding door and looked at them.

“Which one of you is awake?” she asked.

Sevgi moved his head. “Zelia, time to get up.”

She groaned. 

Aru smiled and walked over to her. “You gotta get up,” she said as she gently tugged on Zelia’s hair.

Zelia’s eyes opened slowly. “Do you have to do that?” she asked with a chuckle as she sat up.

“It woke you up,” Aru said, ignoring the question in a way. 

“Touche,” Zelia said as she sat up. She yawned and looked at Sevgi. “We should get going,” she said.

Aru hugged Zelia tightly.

Zelia’s eyes widened some and she held her. “I’ll be back soon,” she said. “I promise.”

Aru looked at her. “I know. I just don’t want you to go again,” she said sadly.

Zelia touched her cheek. “It won’t be for long. And I’ll be back before you know it,” she smiled. “I’ll bring you a present,” she said in a sing-song tone. 

Aru giggled. “Just come back soon. That’s a present in itself.”

“We will,” Zelia said as she looked at Sevgi. “Do you mind getting my off the shoulder dress?” she asked.

“Not at all,” he said as he walked past them to her wardrobe.

“Can you go get Catra and Glimmer for me?” Zelia asked Aru.

Aru nodded. “CATRA! GLIMMER!”

Zelia smiled as she saw the two Etherian girls walk in. Glimmer had Zelia’s dress.

“Sevgi wanted me to bring this for you,” she said.

“How considerate of him,” Zelia smiled as she took the dress and stood up. She looked at them nervously. “I wish I could take you with me,” she said. “But just to be clear, I need to speak to Adora and Bow.”

Glimmer nodded. “Yes, they’re my best friends. They’ll be able to help you with anything you need.”

Catra nodded in agreement. “They definitely will,” she said, her voice softening as she said it.

Zelia nodded. “All right,” she said as she used her magic to change into her off the shoulder black dress. She hugged Glimmer. “I promise, I’m going to get you both home,” she smiled.

Glimmer nodded. “I know you will. Thank you,” she replied.

Zelia hugged Catra. “You will be reunited with your friends. And they will forgive you,” she said, tears in her eyes.

Catra’s eyes became glossy and she just nodded. “Y-Yeah. Thank you.”

Finally, Zelia hugged Aru one last time. “I’ll be back soon my sweet girl.”

Aru nodded. “I know.”

Zelia let her go and walked over to Sevgi. “Shall we?”

They walked out of the room and Aru walked over to Log. 

“You have to get me on their ship.”


	20. To Etheria We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sevgi and Zelia meet up with Hordak before departing the Mothership to head to Etheria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really apologize guys. I wanted to get this done before season 5 but sadly, I don't think I will. I hope you can forgive me because I still have so much to go TT~TT

Sevgi and Zelia walked side by side to the ship docking station where they would meet Horde Prime and Hordak. 

“Do you know how he’s been?” Zelia asked.

“According to the reports, he’s been resting until now. It seems the Reconditioning took a little longer than expected.”

Zelia knew after their visit he seemed fine, but she couldn’t be too sure. “Do you think that it’s taking a little longer because of what I did?” she asked in a whisper.

 _Don’t worry about him. I’ve been keeping him asleep for what’s to come,_ Celestia told them both through their telepathic link. _Besides, if he was sleeping, it kept Prime away from him. The last thing I need is for him to interfere._

They looked at one another and sighed in relief.

 _Thank you Celestia. That helps ease my worry,_ Zelia replied to her.

She looked at Sevgi. “Are you ready?” she asked.

Sevgi was about to answer when he saw Horde Prime.

“Zelia, you’re looking as lovely as ever,” Horde Prime chimed as they entered the ship docking station. 

_Please don’t think I’m going to enjoy any of this,_ Zelia said to Sevgi. “Horde Prime, you flatter me,” she smiled flirtatiously. “I’m not looking as pristine as I did last night,” she said. 

“Why are you not wearing your dress?” Horde Prime asked her as he looked her up and down.

“My apologies, Horde Prime,” she smiled as she covered her smile with her hand. “I didn’t wear it because I wanted to ensure that you could adjust it as you saw fit,” she smiled as she held her hands out to him.

He smiled at her as he took her hands in his.

Sevgi felt his jealousy begin to take hold as Zelia gave Horde Prime her hands. He watched as Horde Prime’s snake-like hair moved to her shackles to release Zelia’s forearms from the steel that hindered her magic. They fell to the floor and one of his guards picked them up.

“Thank you, Horde Prime,” she smiled, batting her eyes at him. _“Çevirmək/Transform,”_ she said as she moved her hands over her body, her magic transforming her black off the shoulder dress into her soft purple dress for her visit to Etheria. She ran her right hand over her hair, and it was pulled to the right side in soft waves. She turned to Sevgi and took a deep breath. _“Çevirmək/Transform,”_ she said as she ran her hands over his body, the magic turning his tunic from white to royal purple. She moved her hands up to his neck, before she moved them over his shoulders as the cape appeared on him. Never once did she break eye contact with him.

 _You look so handsome,_ she said. She turned to Horde Prime as she linked her arm through Sevgi’s.

“Are we to your liking?” she asked Horde Prime.

“You both look the part...except for one thing,” Horde Prime said.

Zelia’s eyes widened as he kneeled down and placed a diamond ring on her left hand. “Horde Prime what is this?” she asked nervously.

“To show your union to your _husband_ ,” he said as he eyed Sevgi. He then handed Sevgi a silver band. “For your left hand, H-105.”

Sevgi placed the ring on the finger next to his pinky. “Like this?” he asked.

“Perfect,” Horde Prime smiled. “You and Zelia do make a lovely couple,” he commented. “Hordak, what do you think?” he asked as one of his guards brought Hordak out.

Zelia looked at Hordak. He looked so weak and tired. He was dressed in his attire from when he first arrived a few days ago.

“They look like a beautiful couple, Big Brother,” Hordak replied almost emotionless.

Zelia bowed her head. “Thank you for the kind compliment, Hordak.”

“You are welcome, Lady Zelia,” he replied.

Horde Prime’s eyes narrowed. “You will call her “Empress Zelia” while you are on Etheria, Little Brother,” he said.

Empress? She looked at Sevgi. “Would that make 105... Emperor Prime?” she asked.

“It does. But only for your visit,” he replied, looking at her. He then turned his attention to Sevgi. “Do not disappoint me,” he said. “Your night in the vitrine should have included my mannerisms and dialogue.”

“Yes, it was downloaded and programmed successfully.”

“Perfect,” Horde Prime said.

Zelia cringed a little at that word. She absolutely hated that word.

“May I take him for a moment Zelia?” Horde Prime asked.

“I don’t see how I can refuse,” she replied as she watched Sevgi walk off with Horde Prime. She looked at Hordak. “Are you ready?” she asked.

He looked at her, his eyes hopeful despite looking more green than red. The red in his eyes…it was the same color as Karaliene’s eyes. Zelia thought back to how happy Karaliene had been when she found out she was with child. Her eyes glossed over thinking about Karaliene and the life she never had.

“Is something wrong?” Hordak asked, looking at her.

She shook her head. “N-no. I just…I’m just a little nervous,” she exhaled. “What about you?”

“I’m not sure to be honest. I’m nervous to see the woman you told me about…” he whispered.

“Don’t be nervous about that. I know she’ll be happy to see you,” she smiled at him. 

Log looked at Aru. “Are you sure you want this?” he asked.

Aru nodded. “I want this,” she said.

He sighed. “If I don’t help you, you’re going to cause trouble aren’t you?” he asked.

“Define trouble,” she smiled wide. She couldn’t let Zelia and Sevgi leave without her. She just had to go with them. It’s not that she didn’t want to be here with Catra, Glimmer and Log but after learning that Horde Prime tried to poison Sevgi, she couldn’t be too careful. Especially after Log showed her where Horde Prime did some of his experiments. She cringed at the thought that maybe if Zelia and Sevgi were gone that Horde Prime would use this time to experiment on her. “Yes Log, I need to go with them,” she said looking at him.

He sighed in defeat. “Okay. Stay low and follow me,” he said. He walked over to a panel and looked at it before he pointed to a ship close by. 

Aru carefully walked next to Log, using his body as a cover.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Just be careful,” he said looking at her from his peripheral vision. 

“Don’t worry when I come back, I’m going to hug you and then some,” she giggled.

He smiled. “I’d like that. The hug I mean,” he said as they reached the ship. He pulled a tool out from his cloak and opened a ship compartment. “This should be a good hiding place until you get there,” he said.

Aru smiled and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Log,” she said blushing.

“You’re welcome. Now come on,” he said as he tried picking her up by the waist. Unfortunately for Aru when Log was created, he didn’t have much strength despite his appearance. He blushed from embarrassment and Aru stifled her giggle.

“How about you kneel down, and I get on your back?” she suggested.

He did as she suggested, and Aru stepped on his back and gripped onto the opening of the ship compartment and pulled herself up. She climbed in and adjusted herself.

“You should really work out,” she said teasing him.

Log blushed as he stood up and looked at her. He could see there was a hint of anxiety in her eyes, but he couldn’t stop her. Her mind was made up. “Just stay quiet and still,” he said as he sealed her in.

“I’ll see you soon,” she replied as she blew him a kiss. With the compartment sealed, Aru took a deep breath and rested her back against the wall. Now she would just have to wait for them to leave before she could get out.

Horde Prime looked at H-105. “You will maintain the facade that you and Zelia are married. You are not to do anything other than hold her hand and kiss her should the occasion arise.”

Sevgi nodded in agreement. He knew that wouldn’t happen. He could tell Zelia held back when she laid next to him and she still had to get him back for him kissing her in one of the dark spaces of the hallways. “The program that was uploaded to me did have some...sexually suggestive data. Am I to ignore that then?” he asked.

Horde Prime looked at him and then smirked. “Actually, no.”

Sevgi’s eyes widened slightly. No. Why did he have to bring that up?! 

Horde Prime lifted H-105’s chin slowly and he looked into his eyes with a menacing calm. “She told me that I didn’t need to worry about you, but I’m not sure I’m satisfied with that answer.”

“Why would she lie to you?” Sevgi asked as he looked at his creator. “Time and time again you continue to threaten her when she has done nothing but what you have asked. What reason does she have for lying to you, Horde Prime? Was she not satisfactory in bed with you last night? She could barely walk on her own when she got back,” he lied.

“She was rather...exceptional. But I need you to seduce her to know if there is anything else I can do for her when she returns to my bed.”

Returns?

“Understood,” Sevgi replied, his heart breaking. Now he wouldn’t even be able to enjoy their time alone if they got it. 

“Good,” Horde Prime said, releasing his hold on him. “Enjoy yourself with her, it’s the only time I’ll allow you to touch what is mine,” he said. 

Sevgi nodded and walked back to see Zelia and Hordak standing where they were before he left them. 

“Is everything all right, Horde Prime?” Zelia asked as she looked at him.

“Of course it is, Empress,” he said smiling at her.

She forced a smile. “A temporary title,” she exhaled. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I believe we’re ready to head to Etheria for our mission.” She didn’t like what that title implied, but she could feel that he was already envisioning her as his Empress. She cringed inside and decided it was a worry for another day.

“No, Zelia. There is nothing else except to bring the scientist princess back. As well as your lovely self,” he said as he smiled at her as he held his hand out.

She felt a chill down her spine as she gave him her right hand. “I will return along with the Princess. Safe and ready to talk about this,” she replied, lifting her left hand and looking at the ring.

“That would be wonderful. I await your return,” he said, taking her hand and pressing a kiss on it. 

“Empress Zelia, shall we?” Sevgi asked as he came up behind Horde Prime. 

“Yes, dear husband,” she said as she looked at Horde Prime. “We will return victorious,” she said as she blew him a kiss and walked into the ship to see Hordak waiting for her. 

Sevgi followed in after her and pushed a button to close the doors.

Zelia looked at them both and put her finger to her lips.

 _“Horde Prime'yə olan bütün rabitələri çıxarın və hamısı onun planına keçdi / Remove all communications to Horde Prime and give the illusion all went to his plan,”_ she said in a low whisper.

“Another spell?” Hordak asked.

She nodded. “It seems Horde Prime has some ideas of what he’s expecting us to do. This spell will give him the idea of the outcome he’s expecting. Now, let’s talk about what we **ARE** going to do,” she said confidently. She looked at Hordak. “Glimmer told me that when we get to Bright Moon, we must ask for Adora. Do you know her?”

“She was a Horde soldier. She came through a portal when I was attempting to return to Horde Prime. She is the warrior known as She-Ra and she is the hero of the rebel forces,” Hordak replied.

“I take it you two don’t have the best relationship?” Zelia commented.

“Correct,” he said.

“For the time being that doesn’t matter. How exactly are we going to get them to believe the messages you are giving them true?” Sevgi asked as he began inputting the launch data for the ship. “The magic you possess is probably different than theirs.”

“Shadow Weaver was my sorceress when I ruled the Fright Zone, I have no doubt she will try and say you are using an illusion,” Hordak said as he helped Zelia sit down. “It can be somewhat uncomfortable during launch,” he said kindly to her.

Zelia sat down and smiled at him. “Thank you. And if she’s a sorceress I’m sure there’s some sort of truth spell she could cast on me if she really doesn’t believe me,” Zelia said nonchalantly as she buckled the seat harness.

Hordak went to sit down and looked at her. “I don’t know what all her spells are, but I’m sure you’re right. Also, what messages is Sevgi talking about?”

“I had Glimmer and Catra give me messages to give their friends on Etheria since I couldn’t bring anything with me,” she answered. 

“That’s very kind of you,” Hordak smiled. 

“It’s the least I can do. I know that Celestia threatened them after I made contact with them,” she sighed.

“She did what?” Sevgi asked as he guided the ship out of the docking station.

 _“Oh please, it’s not like I told them I was going to kill them,”_ Celestia answered him. _“And besides, that sorceress who calls herself Shadow Weaver was being a nuisance. I simply had to teach her a lesson.”_

Sevgi sighed some as he saw the docking station doors open. “Everyone buckled in?” he asked.

“Yes,” both Zelia and Hordak said.

“Hang on tight,” Sevgi said as he pulled back on a throttle and pressed a button to speak to the control personnel. “Ship C-042 prepared for Mission E. Requesting permission to launch,” he said.

“Permission granted. You are clear for launch, H-105.”

“Launching, now,” he said as he pushed the throttle forward.

The ship stalled for a moment before it launched forward, exiting the docking station on the Mothership and launching through space.

Zelia’s eyes widened when she saw all the stars in the sky. “So, this is the universe?” she asked.

“One of them,” Hordak said. “Is this your first time travelling through space?” he asked her.

She nodded. “When I lived on Eden, I never saw the stars this close,” she said. “It’s amazing,” she said almost breathless.

“Sevgi, you should tell her about the galaxy we went to where there were beings that looked like starlight,” Hordak said as he unbuckled his harness. “How long until we arrive?” he asked.

Sevgi looked at Hordak. “It should be a matter of hours. It looks like the team who worked on the ship already inputted the coordinates. We should be arriving soon,” he said as he looked at Zelia who was just in her seat, looking at the vast universe.

Hordak smiled at them. “I’m going to freshen up in the other chamber,” he said as he walked out of the main control room and into one of the bathing rooms.

He took a deep breath as he looked in the mirror. He looked so frail. Horde Prime had been merciful enough to let him use the armor that the Princess named Entrapta had made him. He didn’t need to freshen up. He just wanted to give Sevgi and Zelia some privacy. 

He was more nervous to get to Etheria than he was being here with them. Would Entrapta recognize him? Would she remember him? His memory was still somewhat foggy...but he could still hear her voice ringing in his ear calling his name. He touched the empty space on his neck in the center his armor and wondered what it was that was supposed to belong there. 

He stepped out of the bathing room and walked into one of the rooms and laid down. He just needed to close his eyes for a bit...

“Are you all right?” Sevgi asked as he looked at Zelia.

“I am,” she smiled as she unbuckled her harness and stood up. “It’s so amazing,” she said. “How many universes have you been to?” she asked.

“I’ve lost count,” he admitted. “I never really thought I would need to remember that,” he chuckled.

“Don’t worry about not remembering,” she smiled as she walked over to him. “I’m just glad you’re alright,” she said, her eyes looking into his. “Aru and Catra told me what happened.”

He held her close. “I was hoping they wouldn’t have told you,” he admitted.

“I don’t think it’s something they wanted to hide from me. Catra was a sweetheart for easing my worry. And I don’t think Aru is the kind of person who would do that,” she said her hand caressing his face. “She’s a lot more intuitive than you think,” she smiled.

“She told me you like me,” he blushed feeling her warmth on his skin.

“Whatever gave her that idea?” she asked, pressing her lips against his.

He kissed her softly and pulled away.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s just...Horde Prime…” he began.

“What did he do to you?” she demanded.

“When he placed me in the vitrine, he had his leading scientist to program me with his mannerisms and even some...sexually suggestive programming,” he admitted shamefully.

She looked at him. “Sevgi, I know that you aren’t kissing me because _HE’S_ making you,” she said as she touched his face. “And if you think he’s going to get to use you, you’re wrong,” she smiled. “Did you forget that I put a protection spell on you when we first met?”

Sevgi’s eyes widened as he looked at her.

“He might have put that data in for programming, but it didn’t stick and it won’t,” she said as she kissed him once more. “He doesn’t have any power over you when it comes to me. So don’t let him scare you,” she said.

He held her close and kissed her. “I won’t,” he smiled against her lips.

“I KNEW SHE LIKED YOU!” Aru said excitedly.

They turned and looked at her. “ARU?!” they asked as they turned red and let each other go. Sevgi placed his hands behind his back and Zelia nervously placed in hers in front of her.

“Oh was I interrupting you?” she replied giggling.

“Aru what are you doing here?” Zelia asked, red as a tomato.

Aru looked at both of them and smirked. “Sins.”

Zelia laughed nervously. “What are you talking about? We aren't doing anything bad...”

Aru nodded. “Uh-huh. Well, you know I’m just making sure you're okay,” she said as she looked at Sevgi. “You seem to be feeling a lot better.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, but more importantly, why are you here?”

Zelia glared at him before looking at Aru.

“Well, I was worried about you two, so I decided to come along.”

“That’s so sweet of you, Aru. But you do realize that I have tell Horde Prime right?” Zelia said as she smiled sadly.

“WHY?! He doesn’t have to know!” she exclaimed.

“And what do you think will happen to Log if he tries to pry his mind? We have to let him know you're here,” she said. She looked at Sevgi. “Is there a way to contact him?”’

“Shall I open a communication channel for you?” Sevgi asked.

“Yes please, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to leave while I speak to him. Aru, you’ll stay,” she said sternly.

Aru was nervous. She started to grow anxious. Was Zelia mad at her? She watched as Sevgi typed on the keyboard. 

“It should load in a matter of moments.”

“Thank you,” Zelia said. 

“Excuse me then,” Sevgi said as he excused himself.

“Stay behind me,” Zelia said as she stepped in front of Aru as a video of Horde Prime appeared. 

“Empress Zelia, is there something the matter?” Horde Prime asked before he noticed Aru hiding behind her. “What is she doing there?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

“I wanted to call you and let you know that I had her brought onboard because I need her,” she said smiling. “I apologize for not telling you, but I knew you would have declined my request if I asked.”

“I see, and why exactly do you need her?” he asked, a tone of anger in his voice but curiosity in his eyes.

“Her company is charming and it would be nice not to be the only woman on my way there. She also has a unique magical power and I know you're curious as to how she survived in space, allow me to help you with finding an answer for that question.”

Aru looked down, afraid that Zelia was going to use her.

“And what do you propose to do with her once you arrive to Etheria?”

“Well, naturally I will tell them she’s my daughter,” Zelia said looking at her and gently pulling her into an embrace. “After all, she does have my hair and eyes.”

Aru looked at her. She wasn’t going to send her back to the Mothership?

“This is true. A beautiful and unique combination you two share. Very well, I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you very much,” Zelia smiled. “I promise I won’t let you down,” she said, batting her eyes at him. “Please promise me that you won’t punish the girls or H-706. I’m the one to blame.”

“I admire your candor, Zelia. You are truly a unique woman. I do await your return to me soon.”

She forced a sensual smile. “I await to be in your arms once more.”

Aru made a face and Zelia stopped the communication.

“Why did you tell him that?” Aru sneered.

“Because the only way I can protect you is to make him think I did it and that I’ll apologize to him for it with sexual favors.”

“Why would you do that if you like Sevgi?” she asked.

Zelia sighed. “I don’t enjoy this,” she said looking at her. “I don’t like how he looks at me or how he speaks to me. It’s uncomfortable to say the least but if it’s what I have to do to protect you, I will do it.”

“Protect me?” Aru asked.

“Yes. He’s a curious being, though he won’t admit it. Do you really think that he won’t try to do something to find out how you survived out there?” she said pointing to the glass.

Aru looked at her and shuddered.

Zelia held her close. “I will protect you, I promise.”

Aru hugged her back. “I’m sorry for coming.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you’re here,” she smiled. “But if you’re going to come with us to Etheria, we do need to change your clothes,” she giggled. 

Aru looked at her clothing and then at Zelia’s. She was in a different dress. One that almost reminded her of her uniform. “Well what’s wrong with my clothes?”

“If you’re to be the daughter of an Empress, we need to give you something that will say you are the daughter of royalty,” she replied. 

Aru’s eyes widened in fear. “Royalty?” Aru asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Zelia said smiling.

 _“That’s right, love. On this trip you’ll learn to be just like them. Just like the good old times…”_ said a voice in Aru’s head.

“Aru? Aru, what’s wrong?” Zelia asked as she carefully touched her cheek. Aru looked at her with fear in her eyes. “I’m here, it’s okay,” Zelia smiled. Her Seer ability wasn’t working on Aru. She couldn’t see what had frightened her. “I’m here, nothing and no one is going to hurt you,” she said holding her close. “Please don’t be scared, there’s nothing that will hurt you here. I promise.”

Aru held onto her and nodded against her. “O-Okay.”

The doors whooshed open and Hordak and Sevgi stepped in.

Hordak looked at Aru and then at Zelia. “You brought someone?”

“She snuck in because she wanted to be with us,” she smiled as she held her close. “But we can’t send her back now, so she’ll be coming with us.”

Aru carefully hugged Zelia back and closed her eyes tightly. _”This time will be different,”_ she thought to herself. _”She’s not using me, she cares about me.”_

“Hello,” Hordak said. “My name is Hordak,” he said to Aru.

“I’m Aru, and this is my mother,” she said, nuzzling against Zelia.

Zelia’s eyes widened at the word ‘mother’ and she smiled. “That’s right,” she agreed. “I’m your mother,” she said as she gently ran her hand over Aru’s head. 

Sevgi looked at Zelia and noticed a soft glow in her eyes. Like the one when she’d first hugged Aru back in her room. 

“I told Horde Prime that she would be our daughter for this mission. It was the only thing I could think of to protect her,” she said.

Sevgi smiled at her. She truly did have a large heart. He could see it in her eyes when Aru hugged her and called her mother. “Then I guess, that makes me your father,” Sevgi said. 

Aru looked at them and felt a warmth in her heart. So they were a family. A fake family, but a family no less. She smiled at Sevgi. “I’ve never had a family before,” she admitted nervously.

“Nor have I,” Sevgi said.

“What’s a family?” Hordak asked.

Zelia came to the realization that they had not known what family was. “Well, family is a group of people who care for each other. Usually there's marriage and blood relations that make it more accurate but that’s just a technicality. As long as you care for someone enough to give your life for them, that person or persons are your family,” Zelia said, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at them.

“You would give your life for us?” Hordak asked.

Sevgi looked at her, his eyes widening.

She kissed Aru’s head and nodded. “I would,” she smiled as she looked at Aru. “Because nothing would make me happier than seeing you all free to live as you wish,” she said, tears in her eyes. 

They all looked at her.

“ARRIVAL TIME TO ETHERIA TWO HOURS.” A robotic voice said.

Zelia looked at Aru. “Come, I need to change your clothes,” she said. “Excuse us.” She took Aru’s hand and exited the control room.

Hordak looked at Sevgi. 

“Was she serious about giving her life?”

Sevgi swallowed the lump that had built up in his throat and sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. The only person she lies to is Horde Prime.”

Hordak touched his shoulder. “I’m not sure what to say but I do know that she would not say that lightly if she did not mean it.”

Sevgi struggled to keep his composure, his hand was shaking as he reached for a chair to sit in.

 _You know that I told you no harm would come to her,_ Celestia said to him. _I don’t go back on my word._

Hordak pulled up the map to track their course.

“Well, since I have you here, let me tell you what I can remember about my time on Etheria,” he said.

Sevgi sat down and looked at him. “I’m listening.”

Hordak sat down in the chair across from him. “Etheria is a large planet, but despite its size, you’d be surprised at how close many of the lands are.”

Sevgi had recalled some planets had vast masses of land that were either connected or separated into countless islands. “How exactly did you come to rule part of the planet?” Sevgi asked him.

Hordak groaned.

Sevgi sighed. “I need to know because it might help in case the Etherians ask me questions about it.”

“Fair enough,” Hordak said. “When the portal stranded me in Etheria with my broken ship I landed near a kingdom of people who were part scorpion. There were scavengers who came to try and steal from me. I was able to fight them off before they cowered in fear. I used that fear to become their leader and then lead the attack on the kingdom of the Scorpion people.

“Which was successful?” Sevgi asked.

Hordak nodded. “It was. I was able to secure their kingdom and their people. I built my empire and was able to gain a Runestone known as The Black Garnet. Shadow Weaver came to help me. She was a powerful ally, I won’t deny that. She had knowledge about the planet and it’s magic. She helped me with keeping my soldiers trained and prepared for attacks. She’ll no doubt try to convince the Etherians that I haven’t changed.”

Sevgi looked at him. “Well, they might still be but I’m sure Zelia has some way of appeasing to them.”

“You think she can?” Hordak asked.

“She was a Queen on her home planet before Horde Prime captured her. I’m sure she knows what to say to the Etherians to let them know we mean them no harm.”

Zelia looked at Aru. “Hmm..what do I put in you?” she asked as she tried to think of what she could give Aru to correspond with what she and Sevgi were wearing. 

“Why is what I’m wearing important?” Aru asked.

“The whole point of this mission is to show the Etherians we mean them no harm. Horde Prime needs the Etherian princess Entrapta to find out how to work the weapon that caused the energy burst his readings picked up. We need to put on a show for them so that they will allow us to bring her with us.”

“Is he going to keep her locked away?”

“I’m trying to negotiate her freedom along with Glimmer and Catra. There’s no need for them if he has her and Hordak to figure out this weapon.

“So…you’re going to get her out?” Aru asked.

“Along with Sevgi, Log, Hordak and you,” Zelia smiled.

“And what about you?” Aru asked. “What will happen to you?”

Zelia said nothing and took a deep breath.

Aru looked at her. “You can’t stay behind. You can’t!”

Zelia smiled. “Now Aru,” she started as she looked at her. “Can you hold still for a moment please?”

Aru was confused and was still from being dumbstruck.

Zelia used her magic to transform Aru’s uniform into something similar but not too different. She changed the color from deep green to a soft purple to match her. She kept the sleeveless top, as she knew it was something Aru was comfortable in and added a short cape held together by a silver necklace with a large emerald jewel. She only changed the length of Aru’s skirt to floor length. “There we go,” she smiled. “You look beautiful,” she smiled.

Aru looked at her. “You think I’m beautiful?”

Zelia nodded. “Of course you are, surely you’ve been told that before.”

Aru blushed as she thought about Log calling her beautiful. “I’ve only heard it once,” she said. 

Zelia looked at her skeptically. “Once?”

Aru sighed. “I’m not as pretty as you so I don’t hear it a lot.”

Zelia blushed lightly. “Well, I think you’re more beautiful than you think. And you should never compare your beauty to others because there is only one you and that alone is your gift to the world.”

 _She’s lying to you…_ said the voice in Aru’s head.

“D-Do you really mean that?”

Zelia nodded. “I know you think I’m lying because I lied to Horde Prime. But he’s the only person I’ve really lied to in my ten years as his captive,” she said as she made eye contact with her. “I wouldn’t dream of lying to you.”

Aru was curious if she could have Zelia tell her something. “What do you know about the celestial being?” she asked.

Zelia looked at her. “How do you know about the celestial being?” she asked.

“When we went to find Sevgi, Log took me to the chamber.”

She nodded. “I see,” she sighed. “Well, it’s just as much his workspace as it is mine,” she admitted. “What do you want to know about the celestial being?” she asked.

“You’re going to tell me?” Aru asked.

“I don’t want you to think I’m lying to you. So, I’ll tell you something that no one but Sevgi and I know, the celestial being is named Celestia. She’s the mother of the universe and she wants Horde Prime dead.”

Aru’s eyes widened as she looked at her. “So even the celestial being hates him?”

“He’s disrupted balance in the universe,” she said. “Also, she’s not very happy he’s kept her trapped.

Aru was shocked. “How did he capture her?”

“I’m not sure, but she needs me for her plan.”

“Is she going to use you?” Aru asked, fearful that something might happen to Zelia.

“In a way. But don’t worry. If it means saving you…all of you, I don’t mind,” she replied smiling at her. “So please don’t be sad about it okay?”

Aru looked at her. “How can you say that?”

Zelia smiled and looked at her. “Because I’ve lost so much in my life. So much that I was afraid to hold anything close or even love again. But danger is unimportant when it comes to the people you care about most in the world.”

Aru was taken back how genuinely Zelia spoke about all of them. She’d never met anyone like her. She was not only beautiful and sweet, but she was selfless.

“Do you really love Sevgi?” Aru asked her.

Zelia looked at her with glossy eyes and nodded. “I do. I know if I was home on Eden, I would be judged for falling in love with him. Not because of his appearance but because he was watching over me for my captor.”

Aru looked at her. “They would judge you?”

Zelia nodded. “Oh yes. But I stopped caring about the opinions of others because it never did me any good,” she smiled. “Now, when we arrive, you won’t speak unless spoken to. Just as a formality. Or at least until I can convince them that I mean them no harm.”

“You said something about my magic to the Dio. What did you mean?”

Zelia looked at her with serious eyes. “I know you have a powerful magic. Where I’m from, it’s called Elemental Magic. I don’t know how powerful your magic is, but I do know that your power is linked to the life source of a planet. What better way to find out if your magic is Elemental than by having you go to a place that isn’t made of steel?”

Aru looked at her. “Are you going to use me?” she asked, somewhat afraid.

“Use you?” Zelia asked, confused. “What do you mean use you? I don’t want to use you, I want you to get your powers back so that you can protect yourself and Log if I’m not able to,” she said.

Aru was surprised. Zelia knew that she had no connection to her magic on the mothership and was willing to risk unwanted interactions with Horde Prime so that she could establish a connection for her magic on Etheria. “I-I’m sorry I seemed a little hostile.”

“Don’t apologize,” Zelia said. “I’m sure trust issues are something all of us have in common,” she chuckled.

Aru hugged her. “Still, thank you for always being so good to me,” she smiled.

Zelia hugged her back and gently stroked her hair. “I always will, Aru,” she said tenderly.

“ARRIVAL TIME TO ETHERIA ONE HOUR” said a robotic voice.

Aru’s stomach growled.

Zelia giggled. “Is my sweet girl hungry?” she asked.

Aru nodded. “Yeah. I am,” she replied.

“Let’s get you some food,” Zelia said as she opened the door for them. “I think we should ask Sevgi and Hordak where the food is kept around here,” she said. “What are you in the mood for?” she asked Aru.

“I just want something to eat,” Aru answered nervously. “But preferably something sweet,” she smiled.

“Let’s go ask them,” Zelia said as they walked to the control room. “Beloved, do you know if there’s any food on board?” Zelia asked him.

“I’m not sure,” Sevgi said. “Let me go check,” he said, getting up.

Zelia looked at Hordak. “Hordak, I apologize for not coming to visit as often as I should have,” she said.

“Don’t apologize. Sevgi mentioned that Horde Prime has been keeping you busy.”

She nodded and groaned. “Yeah, somehow after ten years he’s decided that now is when he wants to get close to me.”

“Why did he call you Empress?” Hordak asked her.

“I’m not sure,” Zelia said. “But something tells me he wants me to be his next wife,” she sighed.

“YOU CAN’T!” Aru screamed.

“If I can help it, I won’t,” Zelia said. “But please don’t tell Sevgi. I know he’s already worried after leaving me alone with him last night.”

“Did something happen?” Hordak asked her.

Zelia shook her head. “Nothing worth discussing. He invited me to have dinner with his family and then we headed back to his chamber where he fell asleep.”

Aru looked at her with a grimace on her face. She knew that wasn’t the whole truth, but she also knew that Zelia was holding back from sharing because something did happen and she didn’t want to worry Sevgi.

“There’s only ration bars,” Sevgi said as he walked back into the room.

“Thank you!” Aru smiled as he handed her one.

“Thank you, Beloved,” Zelia smiled. “Now, Aru, since I’m your mother, that makes Sevgi your father,” she said as she linked her arm through his. “That makes you Princess Aru of the Horde.”

“I mean I’d rather have Sevgi as my dad than that rapey mophead creep.”

Sevgi looked at Zelia. “What is she talking about?” he asked her, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Nothing, Sevgi. Can we please focus? We have less than an hour before we arrive and the sun isn’t even up on the planet!”

He sighed and nodded. “Very well.”

Zelia tried not to look defeated. 

“Right, well according to the data you gave Horde Prime, we’ll be landing in a place called The Whispering Woods?” Sevgi asked Hordak. 

“That’s correct. It’s the surrounding area closest to Bright Moon. Though we should be cautious, the ships in the area have been told to retreat in a matter of moments. No doubt the Etherians will be on guard,” Hordak said.

“If that’s the case, we’ll just have to be careful when we disembark,” Zelia said. “I’m sure they are more prepared for any enemy than they are for us.”


	21. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Entrapta lies awake, the Horde ships begin to leave the planet. Has the unknown guest arrived?
> 
> A/N: I know season 5 just came out but I promise I won't spoil it for anyone as my story is completely different from season 5 despite a few small parallels I noticed.

Entrapta was wide awake in Adora’s room. Adora and Bow were sound asleep. Which was good, they had been awake pretty late the last few days. She couldn’t sleep with all the questions running around in her mind. She looked at Imp who had cuddled up against Bow and smiled. She was happy to see him being friendly towards her friends. The only people who Imp was comfortable around before this was Hordak and herself. Her heart warmed knowing that Imp was adjusting. She was adjusting too. That afternoon, she’d met with all the other elemental princesses from the reformed Princess Alliance. She was glad to see them and that they welcomed her back with open arms. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been around this amount of people who genuinely cared about her. Perfuma almost suffocated her with love and she smiled. She was so happy that Perfuma still thought of her as a friend. She also got a tear in her eye when Perfuma told her about the plant statue of her that she had made in Plumeria to honor her when she was left behind in the Fright Zone. She felt guilty for thinking that no one cared about her...

She got up and walked over to the window. She sighed and wondered when they would be seeing this unknown visitor. Bow and Adora had mentioned something about a woman with white hair. It was an unusual hair color to say the least. They didn’t know if this woman would be the one coming. She wondered about Glimmer and Catra. Were they safe? Glimmer especially since they’d brought her father back, he kept asking about her. Catra...it was a somewhat hard feeling to care and worry about her. Especially after what she did. She tried not to think about that. It didn’t matter anyway because according to the voices that Bow and Adora heard, they were fine. Then she wondered about Hordak. Her mind somehow always went back to thoughts of him and his safety. She didn’t know why she worried about him the way she did. She sighed as she looked out to the sky and her magenta eyes widened as she saw the ships in the sky moving away.

“ADORA!! BOW!!” she screamed loudly.

Adora sat up. “WHAT’S WRONG?!” she said loudly.

“THE SHIPS ARE MOVING!”

Adora looked at her with wide eyes and ran to the window. Entrapta was right, the ships were moving away from Etheria. “Where do you think they’re going?”

“I don’t know but do you think that means the visitor is coming?” Entrapta asked her.

“We need to tell everyone to get ready,” Adora said as she put a cloak over her shoulders. “Wake Bow and Imp, I’ll tell the guards.” She walked to the door and looked at Entrapta who was doing as she said. Adora was worried for her. She knew she had been worried about Hordak. They didn’t know who this visitor was and Adora had to prepare herself. She walked out of the room and looked at the guard near the door. “Please send word that we need to assemble all the guards to prepare for a possible hostile visitor.”

The guard nodded and used a communication pad that Bow and Entrapta had made to alert the others.

“Bow, wake up. The ships are moving. We need to secure Mara’s ship,” she said. 

Bow groaned and Imp yawned against him. Entrapta frowned and pinched Imp’s cheeks. 

“HEY WAKE UP!!”

Imp hissed lowly and rubbed his eyes as he looked at Entrapta.

“Well now that you’re awake, can you screech to wake him up please?” Entrapta asked as she pointed at Bow.

Imp nodded and made a screeching noise that woke Bow who sat up in a panic.

“You’re awake!” Entrapta smiled. “The Horde ships are moving away from Etheria, we need to prepare for the visitor. 

Bow got up and rubbed his eyes. “Did you just say the ships are moving away?” he asked. 

“Yes, we need to go make sure Mara’s ship is secured,” she repeated.

They walked out of the palace and saw the other residents and few guests coming out of their rooms to look outside.

Entrapta looked at Bow. “Are you worried?” she asked.

“A little,” he replied. “I’m not sure what to expect.”

“I’m not sure what we can expect either,” she said nervously. “All I do know is that we can’t let our guard down.”

They walked outside and Imp let out a screech. Bow and Entrapta looked up at the sky and saw another slightly larger Horde ship making its way to the Whispering Woods.

“That was fast,” Bow said.

Entrapta couldn’t deny that she was fascinated by how quickly the ships had traveled. She had so many questions but now wasn’t the time. “We should hurry to Mara’s ship,” Entrapta said as they started running. They ran to the ship and Imp flew behind them. When they got to the ship they were surprised to see Adora inside, hiding the shards of the Sword of Protection.

“Adora, what are you doing?” Entrapta asked, looking at her friend. Adora looked so scared. 

Bow and Entrapta saw the hilt of the Sword of Protection in Adora’s hand. 

“It just...didn’t feel right…” she started. “Not having this I mean.”

Bow looked at Adora and walked over to her. “You can’t just go out with the hilt.”

“I promise I’m still working on a way to put it back together,” Entrapta said. “I just need a little more time.”

“It’s okay. I know it might take a while,” Adora said.

“Come on, let’s head to the Whispering Woods. We should be the first one to meet these new arrivals,” Entrapta suggested.

Adora wrapped the hilt up in a linen she’d brought with her and placed it on the chair.

“Okay,” she said as she began walking.

Entrapta wrapped her hair around Adora’s hand. “It’s okay, we’re going to be fine.”

Adora seemed to believe her as they walked out of Mara’s Ship. Entrapta and Bow had worked a pad to control the ship somewhat. The ship had a stealth mode that would camouflage it perfectly so it was almost invisible. Entrapta pressed the button.

“We might want to avoid bringing them here,” Bow said as he looked at Adora.

“That might be best,” Adora said.

Entrapta said nothing. She wondered if they might be able to help them repair the ship, especially since theirs was far more advanced. She knew however, that they didn’t know exactly who was coming.

They were greeted by King Micah and the Commander of the Royal Guards, Fianna.

“We just received word that a ship landed just outside of Bright Moon in the Whispering Woods,” said Fianna as she handed Adora a spear.

“Let’s go,” Adora said as she grabbed a spear from Fianna and looked at Bow and Entrapta. “Are you ready?”

Entrapta nodded. “Yes. Let’s go,” she said.

Bow added more arrows to his quiver. “Ready, Adora!” 

They headed to the Whispering Woods, unsure what or who they would find.

Sevgi carefully landed the ship in an open area so they could ensure that they didn’t destroy anything they didn’t need to.

Zelia and Aru were sitting in one of the room chambers when they felt the ship come to complete stop. “I think we’ve arrived,” Zelia said. “Now don’t be nervous,” she smiled as she stroked Aru’s hair. 

“Are you saying that for me or for you?” Aru asked her as she rested her head on Zelia’s lap.

“If I’m being honest, probably both,” she admitted looking at Aru. “Is that bad?”

“No,” Aru smiled. “I think it’s nice that you’re always looking out for others.”

“It’s a very hard habit to break,” she admitted. “And with my daughter so close, I don’t think it’ll be something I can stop,” she smiled as she stroked Aru’s cheek.

Aru nuzzled herself against Zelia. She liked this feeling. She felt so loved and safe in Zelia’s presence. After she’d eaten the ration bar Sevgi gave her, Zelia dismissed them from Sevgi and Hordak. Zelia brought her to this room and told her that they needed to rest before arrival. After Aru told her where she was hiding, Zelia thought a bed would be more comfortable for her than the tight ship compartment she’d been in. Zelia had sat herself against the pillows and Aru did the same. Aru didn’t know what made her ask if she could lay her head on Zelia’s lap but Zelia didn’t seem to mind. She let her lay her head down and she stroked her hair as she hummed her a sweet song. Aru felt so peaceful laying there with her. She didn’t want them to leave this room.

The door opened and Hordak stepped in. “We’ve arrived in Etheria, Empress and Princess.”

Aru wasn’t sure how she felt about being called “Princess.” She looked at Zelia. “Princess?”

“A formal title for now. As the daughter of an Empress, it’s only right that he addresses you as Princess, Aru. Now come on, we don’t want to keep your father waiting,” she smiled as she touched Aru’s shoulder. “Come on.”

Aru sighed and got up. “Fine,” she groaned.

“I’ll let you ladies get ready,” Hordak said as he walked off.

“You’re embracing this daughter-role really well,” Zelia giggled as she got up from the bed. “Oh, our clothes wrinkled,” she said. “I can fix that,” she smiled as she waved her hand and used her magic to fix their clothes.

“Why does it matter if our clothes are wrinkled?” Aru asked.

“As Royalty, we need to be perceived as looking perfect. Especially since Horde Prime is obsessed with perfection.”

Aru looked at Zelia. “If I’m not perfect will you leave me?” she asked nervously.

“Absolutely not. Perfection is unattainable,” Zelia said looking at her. “Horde Prime is obsessed with something that can never be because he thinks it will make him a great conqueror. But let’s not think of that, and go meet with your father,” she said as she held her hand out for Aru to take.

Aru took Zelia’s hand and they walked to the control room.

Sevgi and Hordak stood, still as they walked in.

“Thank you, Emperor, for getting us here safely,” Zelia said as she let go of Aru's hand and kissed his cheek softly.

“Is this wise, Empress?” he asked her, trying to keep his blush from showing.

“Well, we are married…” she said. “This should be no shock or surprise that I am in love with **my** husband,” she smiled. 

He felt his heart flutter some and cleared his throat. “We should prepare to leave,” he said as he touched several keys on the control panel. “Let’s head there now,” he said, walking past her and Aru.

Zelia said nothing and followed. 

Aru reached for Zelia’s hand and gently squeezed it. “It’s okay, Mama. I’m sure he’s just being shy,” she whispered.

Zelia smiled and mouthed _“Thank You”_ to her.

Hordak followed closely behind them. “He’s not used to public affection. None of us are. Usually when Horde Prime makes an appearance with one of his wives, she’s always in the background and stoic,” he commented.

Zelia forgot that she was a little more comfortable with affection than he was. She was the first one to kiss him after all. “I suppose I was just a little too forward,” she said.

“I’m sure he’s just trying his best to fit into the role properly,” Hordak said.

“You’re probably right,” Zelia said holding Aru’s hand a little tighter. “He can fit into that role if he wants, but ours is up to us,” Zelia smiled as she looked at Aru.

Sevgi waited for them at the opening of the dock gate. He wasn’t put off by Zelia’s affection, but he knew that Horde Prime was not one for public displays of affection. He was more reserved when it came to his wives and being in the public eye. The programming might not have stuck, but it didn’t mean he didn’t know what was expected of him. He hated that he didn’t return her affection just now. That would change momentarily. He was not his creator. Today, he got the opportunity he’d dreamed of: to get to touch and kiss her without any fear of being punished.

When they reached the dock gate, Sevgi opened the doors for them to disembark. The bottom of the ship dock doors opened and a large silver extension expanded to touch the ground.

Zelia looked at Aru. “Look, actual land. Are you ready?” she asked her.

Aru looked at the ground and held Zelia’s hand. “I think so,” she smiled nervously. 

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll be right here,” Zelia said.

Sevgi stepped out first and looked at his family. 

_His family…_

“We haven’t been found yet. You can come down.”

“A princess should always walk with her head up and shoulders back. Gliding along and never dragging your feet,” Zelia said as she stood with her back straight and head up. Aru let go of her hand and watched as she effortlessly walked down the silver extension.

Sevgi held his hand out to her and she took it.

“Thank you, Husband,” she said smiling.

“Beloved,” he said, kissing her hand and noticed she blushed lightly before he let her hand go. 

“Now you, Princess,” Zelia said looking at Aru.

Aru looked at her nervously. 

“You can do it, Princess Aru,” she heard Hordak say to her. She smiled at him and then stepped onto the silver extension. She could do this, just one foot in front of the other.

“There, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Zelia asked her as she reached her.

“You mean I did it?” Aru asked excitedly. 

“Of course you did,” Sevgi smiled at her.

Hordak walked down the expansion and reached them. “We’re…in the Whispering Woods,” he said, almost surprised.

“Is this your first time here?” Sevgi asked.

Hordak nodded. “Yes.”

“Well, I think that might be our best bet to find them,” Aru said pointing to a blue stone that appeared to be floating in the sky.

“I think that’s the Moonstone Glimmer told me about,” Zelia said. “We should head that way,” she said as she started walking.

Sevgi pulled a remote from his cape pocket and pressed a button that retracted the silver extension and closed the dock doors. He put it away and then walked alongside her. “You’ve done this before?” he asked.

“Lead a mission? Of course,” she smiled before the realization overcame her. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you want to lead?”

Sevgi took her hand and chuckled. “No. I like seeing you like this. Free and confident,” he said as she smiled at him.

Aru looked at Hordak who was still taking in the surroundings. “Does it feel strange to be back here?” she asked.

“A little. Shall we,” he said, holding his arm out for her. “A Princess should never walk without an escort,” he smiled.

She put her arm through his. “Thanks. I’m still not sure I’m a convincing Princess though,” she said as they started walking just behind her “parents.” She could feel something as she walked. The ground was filled with life as she walked across it. Something so familiar that she didn’t think she would feel again.

Zelia walked closer to Sevgi and sighed happily. “I never thought we’d get to do this,” she stated. “Walk together so closely.”

“It’s...serene,” he replied, squeezing her hand. Why was he feeling so shy all of a sudden?

“HALT!” cried a voice.

**Author's Note:**

> I am a student in my last year of university so please be patient if I take a while to upload I just want this to be as perfect as I can make it. Thanks in advance my loves ♥


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